Condemned to Repeat
by Trixie Falsae
Summary: O'Dragmire runs a successful resort just outside the City of Hylia. Hylia is trying to incorporate the land the hotel occupies. O'Dragmire's opposition and his confrontation with the mayor's daughter sets off another cycle set by fate. AU.
1. Prologue

Author's Note: I do not own Legend of Zelda, or any character or setting associated with the series. Rights belong to Nintendo and the original creators.

This story started with the thought, "what would happen if the Legend of Zelda cycle was still continuing to this day?" A story was born, and then was scratched, and then this one came to me. It has been simmering in my mind for months, but nursing school has been preventing me from writing anything down. The more I think about this story, the more I love it. I thought about writing it down as an original story instead of an alternate universe fan fiction, but this is how the story presented itself to me, and part of the reason I love it is how I have to fit in references to characters and places. This prologue takes place several decades before the story actually begins, and sets some background for one of our main characters. Enjoy!

~Trixie Falsae

* * *

><p>Condemned to Repeat<p>

By Trixie Falsae

County Tyrone, Ireland

Eileen grasped her son's backpack and dangled it absentmindedly as she held his hand. He was happily chattering about the day's events as they walked the four blocks home to the flat they shared with her grandmothers. They both weren't truly her grandparents, but they were twins and had raised her together after her own mother had died. She honestly couldn't remember which one was biologically hers, but it didn't really matter. Eileen had always had a terrible memory.

Eileen smiled as her son waved at the residents of their poor neighborhood. They smiled at the boy in return as he skipped down the road. He was barely six but already resilient to the cruelties of an impoverished life. He filled her life with joy, and she gazed fondly at his shock of red hair and his skin just a tad darker than that of her neighbors. Eileen remained lost in her thoughts as they mounted the stairs to their small flat. "Good afternoon, Granny Keara," Eileen called as she unlocked the door, letting her son scamper in. He ran straight to the shelf where his toy horses were housed while his mother relocked the door.

"Good afternoon, yourself," the old women called back from the tiny kitchen. "Granny Kiana is nae back from work yet. We will eat as soon as she comes home." Eileen smiled in return and flopped onto the couch, throwing the small backpack into a corner. "How was your day, little O'Dragmire?" The boy looked up from his horse and began chattering about his day.

"Must you call him O'Dragmire?" Eileen whined, kicking off her shoes and flipping through the post. "I gave him a perfectly good family name."

"Must you go by Eileen?" Granny Keara shot back icily. "You have a perfectly good family name as well."

"Rova is a lovely name," Granny Kiana added as she unlocked the door and entered, as if she had been privy to the entire conversation. The small boy dropped his toys and embraced the elderly woman warmly. Granny Kiana may have been pushing seventy, but she was full of fire and pep, still working hard to support her family.

"Besides," Granny Keara added chillingly, "O'Dragmire is our family name, and one to be proud of." Granny Keara was a stickler for rules and ran the household while managing a small home business to add to the meager income. She was strongly opinionated and often overbearing.

"If it is such a thing of pride why have I heard it anywhere else?" Eileen.

"I did nae say it was common," Granny Keara chided. "Please set the table for me, _Ganny_." The small boy rushed to obey.

"I like being an O'Dragmire," He called diplomatically to his mother as he pulled flatware out of a drawer.

"What is wrong with being an O'Dragmire, may I ask?" Granny Kiana inquired as she removed the sturdy shoes she wore to work.

"I never hear it anywhere," Eileen complained. "I cannae find it any genealogy record except for our family. Sometimes it just does nae feel very Irish. I mean, we look the part but I can nae find our origins." The two older women exchanged glances.

"Would you like to meet more family?" asked Granny Kiana.

"I would love to meet more O'Dragmires," Eileen perked up enthusiastically.

"They are nae O'Dragmires," Granny Keara added curtly. "They are a family of Doyles living south of here."

"I was hoping to find out more about the O'Dragmires," Eileen sulked while rising to help prepare the table.

"If it helps," added Granny Kiana hopefully, "they are affiliated to the earliest O'Dragmires on record."

"I can only find back to your own granddad," Eileen shot suspiciously.

Granny Keara smiled a malicious smile, "I said it wasnae a common name."

"So are we actually a subset of the Doyle clan?" Eileen asked hopefully.

"Nae really," Granny Kiana explained warmly. "Granddad's mother adopted the daughters of her widowed friend, Bridget Doyle, as the poor woman lay on her deathbed."

"So they are nae really related to us, then?" Eileen asked through narrow eyes.

"Nae by blood," Granny Keara shrugged as they sat down at the table together. "Some family you are born to, others you choose. They are still family even though we share no blood."

"I was more interested in bloodlines," explained Eileen, disappointment evident in her face.

"O'Dragmire? How would you like to visit a horse farm?" Granny Kiana asked, a mischievous smirk directed towards Eileen. The boy wiggled in his seat and gave his enthusiastic approval.

"Fine," Eileen gave in, "I will see if I can get time off at the library for a visit." The grannies smiled at each other victoriously.

"Please say the blessing, O'Dragmire," Granny Keara ordered as they bowed their heads and listened to the eager prayers of an excited child.

* * *

><p>Later, after the dishes had been washed and put away and her child was supposed to be in bed; Eileen sat alone in the small parlor reading the latest bestseller on loan from the library. The grannies had retired to their room so Eileen was surprised to hear shuffling along the worn floor. She looked up to see her son standing before her with a worn and very old book. "Look what I found, Mommy!" He whispered excitedly, heaving the large tome onto his mother's lap. She blinked at the dusty book a few times. She had seen it before but she could barely remember. The grannies had shown it to her before her mother had died.<p>

"Where did you find this?" asked Eileen as she ran her hand over the worn triangular image on the front cover.

"In the closet," the boy confessed. "What is it?" Eileen opened the cover to discover she couldn't read it. It was in a language she couldn't recognize. However, it was full of illustrations so vivid they jogged her memory.

"It is a collection of fairy tales, I think," Eileen replied softly, closing the book to stare at the symbol on the cover. Her son reached out a finger to trace the lines.

"What is this?" he asked in the curious manner of six-year-olds.

"A triquetra," she replied, recalling the symbol from church, although it did not quite seem to fit.

"Could you read me a story?" the boy asked hopefully. Eileen normally would have scolded him and sent him back to bed before now, but the tome had caught her curiosity.

"I cannae read it, dear, but I will do my best to remember."

* * *

><p>Eileen stepped off the train and ushered her son onto the platform before helping the grannies descend. "Stay close, Ganny," she called to the boy as he skipped about, excited to be in a new location with the anticipation of seeing live horses. No sooner had the last granny set her feet on the platform when a slender woman approached the group. She was grinning broadly and had flaming hair that could rival the boy's in brightness.<p>

"You must be the grannies who phoned me," She smiled as she approached the group and immediately embraced the two older women. "I am Alana Doyle. I am glad you are here." Eileen watched quietly as she chatted with the older women while collecting the luggage. The grannies had assured her that there was no blood relation, pulling out genealogy charts to prove it, but Alana could have passed for her sister. Alana ushered the group to a waiting car and joyfully chatted to the child about horses as they pulled into view of the farm. The boy squealed with delight when he saw the horses running through the carefully groomed fields.

A large group of Doyles were waiting as they exited the vehicle in front of a simple but well kept house, grander than anything the boy had seen. "This is Granny Keara and Granny Kiana," Alana called to the crowd as the stepped onto the porch. "This is Rova O'Dragmire and her son Ganny. I would like for you to meet the Doyles." The crowd at once fawned over the eager little boy.

Later, as the sun sank, and Eileen sipped a drink while watching her son run wild with a group of children on the lawn. She chatted easily with the Doyle women who approached her and was thinking how glad she was she had been badgered into coming. They may not have been blood, but they had the distinct air of family about them. She looked warmly about her at the new faces that accepted and loved her and her family. She realized with a start that aside from a few boyfriends and husbands lingering about, her son was the only male present.


	2. Chapter 1

Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo.

* * *

><p><em>City of Hylia, Mayor's Office<em>

"Good morning, Daddy," Sarah chirped happily, entering her father's office. The grey-haired Mayor Hyrule was already busy at work. Sarah filled a cup full of coffee and stirred in creamer. "Do you need me to work on the land annexation project some more today?" she asked as she sipped on the scalding liquid.

"That would be fine, sweetheart," replied the mayor. "Are you caught up on your school work?" he added in a fatherly manner. Sarah was finishing her master's degree in political science at the prestigious Sheikah University. Her connections had secured her the coveted internship in the mayor's office for the City of Hylia. There was a good chance she could have landed the spot on her own merit. She was in the top 5% of her class.

"Of course, Daddy," she replied lightly. "I just have to finish one of my papers, but I'm eager to get the annexation underway. It would be a huge economic boon to Hylia to have the Hotel Gerudo within its borders."

"That it would," the mayor agreed. "I am glad you thought of the proposal, I just want you to be sure to have your school work done. There is no sense doing poorly in a course to overachieve in your internship." Sarah smiled at her father and was about to speak when her father let out a mild curse.

"What is it?"

"The blasted computer is out again!"

"I'll go have it fixed," sighed Sarah as she picked up her coffee and exited the room. She quickly walked the hallways to the tech support office, stopping by a mirror to check her perfect blond hair. "Fitzdeku?" she called rapping on the door to the tiny office. There was barely room for the desk of the single technician, and the remainder of the room was a forest of wires and spare parts.

"I'll be right with you," the technician replied, typing madly on a computer attached to the server that ran the entire building. He glanced up to see who was waiting and seemed startled to see the mayor's daughter. He jumped slightly and let out a startled, "keyah!" He quickly readjusted his glasses and fiddled with the chunky watch on his right wrist.

"The computer is the mayor's office is out again," Sarah informed him, giving him a strange look. She had been here for months, but the tech had always been jumpy around her and had barely strung two words together.

"Yeah…" he began weakly, staring at her dumbfounded.

"Hey, the computers are out all over the building," Sara, from Parks and Recreation called, swinging into the room. "'Morning Sarah." Although she had been working for the City of Hylia for many years, she had become known as Sara, from Parks and Recreation, to avoid confusion once Sarah began her internship. It would be hard to mistake them for each other, though. Sarah's classy mauve suit and perfect coif was in stark contrast to Sara, from Parks and Recreation's rumpled green coveralls and unnaturally dyed bob. The technician diverted his attention to the newcomer.

"I am working on the computers now," he said in a quick manner. "I'll have them up as soon as I can. The new servers keep crashing and I'm doing my best to work out the bugs."

"Thanks, Fitzdeku," Sarah replied and turned on her heels to find her desk, jingling the many bracelets covering her right wrist absently. She could have sworn his reply was a strange, "hya." As soon as she was out of sight she heard him relax and chat with Sara, from Parks and Recreation. He was strange indeed. Sarah sipped her coffee again and shuffled through her papers until she found a page with the information she was seeking. She picked up the phone and dialed the number of the Hotel Gerudo. She needed the owner's cooperation if she was going to push her project through before the semester was up, but she had been unable to reach him. From the rumors she had heard, O'Dragmire and his workers were strange people.

* * *

><p><em>Hotel Gerudo<em>

Ganny O'Dragmire sat stiffly behind the counter in his suit while shuffling through the day's post. He spotted an official looking letter, but set it aside to check in a guest. After one of his workers carted off the luggage he pulled out the letter and looked at the front. It was from the City of Hylia. He sighed and ripped open the letter.

_Mr. O'Dragmire,_

_ I have tried on several occasions to reach you by phone to no avail. I am eager to discuss the upcoming land annexation proposal that will affect land west of Hylia. Your place of business sits in the area of the proposed annexation. Please contact me so we may discuss the details of the proposed annexation and how it will benefit your business. I look forward to hearing from you._

_ Z. Sarah Hyrule,_

_Intern_

_ Mayor's Office_

_ City of Hylia_

"I havenae answered because I know you wouldnae understand no!" O'Dragmire grumbled in his thick brogue as he threw the paper in the trash.

"Who wouldnae?" a chipper voice answered. O'Dragmire's seventeen year old daughter, Natalie, asked as she entered the hotel lobby and immediately threw her school bag over the counter. She had been born and raised near Hylia, but she retained a slight hint of the brogue of her parents.

"I think you inherited the grannies' ability enter a conversation without actually hearing it," he replied sourly.

"Which granny?" Natalie asked curiously.

"My grannies, well, my mother's grannies, you never met them," Ganny replied, tugging at the cuffs of his long sleeves to be sure they covered his wrists.

"Ah," his daughter replied as she shut herself in the small office behind the front desk. She emerged quickly in button down shirt and slacks, her hair pulled back into a high and tight ponytail. "What is the plan of action for today?"

O'Dragmire rattled off the list of guests who were still expected to arrive, which were persnickety and handed over a list of reservations for various activities and the dining room. "I'm going into the office if you need anything," he called.

"Oh, who was it that will nae understand no?" Natalie persisted.

"Some intern from Hylia in charge of the annexation project."

"You are nae going to let them take the hotel, are you Da?" she replied with concern.

"Do nae worry, Natalie," Ganny assured her. "I will do everything in my power to keep Hylia out of our home." He smiled at his daughter and shut himself in his office, kicking Natalie's discarded school clothes to one side. He sat down at his desk and took out the hotel's ledger. He worked very hard to maintain the hotel's sense of grandeur and luxury. In reality, the hotel was in a delicate balance of keeping room and activity rates low enough to keep guests coming and paying the utilities each month. They were not situated on the most fertile land, and paid huge water bills to maintain the gardens and horse stable. If Hylia annexed the land the hotel was on, the taxes would cripple the resort and leave his workers jobless and quite possibly homeless. There was also the matter of keeping Hylia unaware of just who his workers were.

"Are you worried about it, Da?" Natalie asked with concern, poking her head into the office.

"I'm more concerned about you and your lack of a social life," her father replied, hiding his anxiety and smiling at his daughter. "You do nae go out with your friends or attend any school functions or, God help me for saying this, date."

"I talk to my friends at school but it is a long drive for them to visit," Natalie replied. "I havenae met anyone I'd be interested in dating. Hylian boys are boring."

"I am both relieved and concerned," O'Dragmire commented with irony.

"I joined the cross country team when you said I should get more involved in the school," Natalie informed him. "I can beat everybody, even the boys, except one guy. He always beats me by just a second. Besides, you need me here to run the hotel."

"Natalie, you know I appreciate all your help," he started, "but you also need to spend time with your peers. Spending too much time with your aunts will make you turn sour. Why do nae you go to the winter formal?"

"I do nae want to go," Natalie told him.

"Go anyway," O'Dragmire insisted. "You need to do some normal teenager stuff every once in a while."

"But Da, I do nae want to," Natalie whined, stomping her foot.

"There is my teenager," O'Dragmire smiled. Natalie stuck out her tongue but smiled as she went back out to the counter to help a guest.

* * *

><p><em>City of Hylia, Mayor's Office<em>

"I still haven't reached Mr. O'Dragmire," Sarah told her father when they met at the end of the day. "I think he is purposely avoiding my calls and won't answer my letters."

"He must be very busy," replied the mayor, organizing his desk before he went home for the day.

"He has all those workers," Sarah countered. "They all just showed up one day and the hotel went from a quiet little spa to a luxury resort. I'd like to know where they get everything to run the hotel. They don't come into Hylia often even though we are right here."

"I hear they go to Acrimon on a regular basis," Mayor Hyrule explained.

"That is so much farther away," said Sarah. "What could they possibly offer that Hylia does not? You think they would want to help stimulate their local economy."

"We don't stimulate their business," the mayor pointed out.

"What do you mean?" asked Sarah, leaning forward in her seat.

"I've been thinking about it, Sarah dear," her father began. "They seem to be doing very well, it is true, but little of their business comes from Hylia. They cater to vacationers. They bring a lot of business to Hylia, but what business have we given them?"

"But by incorporating the hotel inside our boundaries, we could provide them with greater services. Right now they aren't in our jurisdiction for police or fire."

"Neither have they asked us to. Not once have they called police or fire rescue. It isn't that they haven't needed it, they have just always managed on their own somehow."

"They use our school system. Doesn't that one girl go to the high school?"

"Yes, indeed, but we do not bus her. I want to ask you a question. Why is incorporating the land so important to you?"

"It would stimulate the local economy," Sarah insisted. "We could help them expand their resort, and open up more vacation spots around Lake Hylia. This would bring in more jobs, Hylia is known as a quaint little town, but we don't have anything to draw in visitors."

"Think on this, Sarah," he father replied. "You have wonderful ideas for Hylia, and you have the city's best interest at heart. What is good for Hylia may not be as good for the Hotel Gerudo."

"I still would like to talk to Mr. O'Dragmire about it."

"I think that would be a very good idea, but go in with an open ear to his opinion. Sometimes I think it is strange. Hylia has been right next to that piece of land for centuries, but we have never annexed it. I did some research today but cannot find out why."

"It is about time we annexed it then," Sarah commented. "I'm going to have to go out there and talk to the owner myself. He isn't answering phone calls or letters."

"That might be a good idea," her father approved. "It would give you a chance to work on being diplomatic. You can be a bit forceful at time, and I don't think Mr. O'Dragmire is one to be easily swayed."

"What kind of name is O'Dragmire anyway? I've never heard it before."

"He came from Ireland over twenty years ago and eventually settled where his hotel is now. He is a decent fellow but he keeps to himself."

"I didn't realize you knew so much about him."

"I've been mayor for a long time, dear," Mayor Hyrule smiled, looking over his glasses. "I was mayor when he settled down and I helped him fill out the proper construction paperwork and codes and such. He gave me a tour when he was finished with the hotel. He and his wife were so proud of that place."

"I hadn't realized he was married," Sarah replied with a frown. "You rarely hear of Mr. O'Dragmire and never a Mrs. O'Dragmire."

"His wife died several years ago," sighed the mayor. "She was brought to Chu Memorial Hospital, but was diagnosed with terminal cancer. She checked herself right back out saying she preferred to die in her own home. I never saw a woman so brave or a man so crushed. Their daughter was still quite young at the time. I offered to provide them with financial assistance since they had no insurance, but he declined and paid everything out of pocket."

"At least we know he is a reasonable man," Sarah said as she looked at her watch. "I think I should go out tomorrow."

"Tomorrow is Saturday, and your car is in the shop," her father reminded her. "Why don't you wait until Monday?"

"I'm tired of waiting to hear back from him, I want to get it over with," Sarah remarked impatiently.

"If you are sure this is a wise choice, get someone with a city vehicle to take you," the mayor replied. Sarah nodded and left the office. She didn't have much time to find someone before the end of the workday. She passed empty offices of people who had left early to avoid overtime. She was by the tech office before she heard signs of life. Fitzdeku and Sara, from Parks and Recreation, were having a lively discussion which stopped short when Sarah knocked on the open door.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I need someone with a city vehicle to drive me out to the Hotel Gerudo for city business tomorrow." Sarah requested primly. Fitzdeku stared at her wide-eyed but Sara, from Parks and Recreation, swung around on her chair and smiled wryly.

"All my vehicles are being used for 'No Lost Woods, Save Our Trees' event tomorrow. I can get someone to take you Monday," she offered.

"I'd really like to go out tomorrow and get this over with," explained Sarah. "I've been working on this for a while but I need to speak to the owner before beginning the next step."

"I can't help you," Sara, from Parks and Recreation, replied firmly.

"Do you happen to have a city vehicle, Fitzdeku?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"Hyat," he replied awkwardly.

"He is off tomorrow," Sara, from Parks and Recreation answered for him.

"I could come in for a few hours," he mumbled weakly.

"I thought you were going help with the 'No Lost Woods' event," Sara, from Parks and Recreation, shot back at him. "Tree conservation is as important to you as it is to me!"

"I'll still help out in the morning," he replied apologetically. "I'll take Miss Hyrule during the lunch break and be back to help for the evening."

"Great!" Sarah smiled. "When is your lunch break?" The technician once again gave off an incoherent sound.

"From noon until 3 o'clock, so we aren't working during the heat of the day," Sara, from Parks and Recreation, replied, giving the computer tech a dirty look.

"Good. Can you meet me here at 1?" Sarah beamed. Fitzdeku only nodded. "What is the license plate to your vehicle so I can go ahead and get the expense account paperwork started?" The tech grabbed his smart phone and pressed a few buttons.

"3.P.0.N.A," he read out slowly as Sarah scribbled on a handy notepad.

"Thanks, Fitzdeku," Sarah smiled and left to return to her desk. When she wasn't quite out of earshot she caught a piece of conversation.

"She is such a _princess_," Sara, from Parks and Recreation, spat disdainfully.

"Yeah," Fitzdeku agreed, but there wasn't the slightest hint of disapproval in his voice.

* * *

><p>Sarah was waiting impatiently in front of the mayor's office by 12:45 pm. She knew she was early but she was still impatient. She unlocked the empty building to finish some paperwork while she was waiting. At 12:57 she heard a vehicle pull into the front parking lot. Sarah filed the papers she had just finished and went to the front door to meet Fitzdeku. She was a bit startled to meet him in the hall. His hair was still damp and messy from showering after being outside all morning, and he had changed into a green dress shirt with a matching tie.<p>

"I didn't know you had your own set of keys," Sarah remarked, taking a deep breath to calm down.

"If the server crashes during the nights or weekends I have to come up here and fix it," he explained slowly.

"Oh," Sarah replied. "Well, go ahead and clock in, and we can get going." The computer tech obeyed and Sarah led him out to the back lot where city vehicles were parked. Here she was led to a small off-road vehicle. "Do you really need this for computer work?" Fitzdeku grinned at her as he unlocked the doors.

"No, but when they were replacing vehicles they asked what I wanted, and I got it," he explained, for once not stammering around Sarah. He opened the passenger-side door and motioned her in. Once inside the computer tech set up his phone's GPS and set it in its holster on the dash. They were rather silent until they reached the edge of town.

"Have you ever been out to the Hotel Gerudo?" Sarah asked conversationally.

"No," Fitzdeku replied. There was an awkward pause before he added, "Have you?"

"I haven't," she admitted. "I heard it is supposed to be a beautiful place, but I'm worried about the workers."

"How so?" the tech prodded.

"I heard they are all crazy and mean."

"I thought they were all just Irish, Miss Hyrule," Fitzdeku countered.

"It is just weird to have that many foreigners move here at the same time like that. It is suspicious," Sarah defended herself.

"If I were to move to a foreign country, I would try to move by someone who understood where I came from," he shrugged. "Can you tell me which exit we are supposed to take next?" Sarah reached over and picked up the phone to look at the GPS.

"Exit 30," Sarah replied, glancing up at the scenery. It was beautiful; if very different from the rest of Hylia once they crossed the wide river that marked the current city boundaries. She looked down at the GPS again. "I'm sorry, exit 20." The car suddenly swerved. Sarah grabbed onto the handle as Fitzdeku steered the vehicle over some rocky terrain before navigating back to the right road.

"I'm sorry, Miss Hyrule," he grinned while staring at the road. "We had just passed Exit 20 and I wanted to see what this could do. Sarah stared dumbfounded at the driver. She never would have taken him for the adventuresome type. She smoothed out her suit before finding her voice.

"You could call me Sarah," she said with a dignified air, flipping down the sun visor to check her hair.

"You could call me by my first name, also," he said in almost a whisper.

"Oh? What is that?" Sarah asked, looking at him closely for the first time.

"Link," he replied, not meeting her eyes. They rode the rest of the way in silence.

The Hotel Gerudo seemed to spring from the barren landscape as an oasis. Link parked the car at the back of the lot and opened the door for Sarah. She grabbed her purse and a briefcase and marched up to the hotel, leaving Link to follow her. Link stayed back in the lounge while Sarah advanced on the front desk where a nicely suited man was running the counter. She was arriving the same time as an elderly lady.

"I'll be right with you," he smiled at Sarah before turning to the well-dressed lady. "Good Afternoon, Mrs. Dotour, How are you, today?"

"I'm just fine, Mr. O'Dragmire. Unfortunately, I am ready to check out," the woman replied.

"I hope you enjoyed your stay this time," O'Dragmire offered with a kind smile.

"It was wonderful, as always," she smile back as she handed over her credit card. Mr. O'Dragmire explained the list of charges before swiping the card and handing the receipt over the desk to be signed. "What part of Ireland did you say you were from?"

"County Tyrone," he replied with a small nod.

"My granddaughter is going to Dublin next summer, is that close?"

"No, ma'am. It is a wee bit south," O'Dragmire answered. "I'll have someone fetch your bags."

"Thank you, Mr. O'Dragmire," she answered sweetly. "My husband is bringing the car around front. It is always a pleasure to visit here."

"Thank you very much." He replied before ringing a bell. A red-haired employee in a red uniform appeared and was directed to room 107. Sarah waited for the woman to toddle off before approaching the counter once again.

"How can I help you?" O'Dragmire asked with his thick brogue and warm smile.

"I am Sarah Hyrule from the mayor's office. I haven't been able to reach you by phone or letter so I thought I would pay you a visit out here," Sarah replied with her most official voice. O'Dragmire's face immediately fell into a frown.

"I havenae been answering your phone calls or post because you seem the sort that wouldnae take 'no' for an answer." He replied. "I have no intentions of letting Hylia stick its nose in my business."

"I assure you, Mr. O'Dragmire, It isn't a matter of 'sticking our nose in your business,'" Sarah explained with a smile. "It is a mutually beneficial arrangement that can help the hotel as well as Hylia. I would like a chance to talk with you in detail about the proposal." O'Dragmire sighed.

"I knew you were nae the type to understand 'no'," he sulked. "You may yammer away if you like, but you are nae likely to sway my opinion. Do you mind waiting until I can get someone to cover the desk?" Sarah nodded her assent and the man picked up the phone. "How did I get cursed with such a lazy daughter," he muttered the third time he had to dial the number. Finally the call was answered. The speaker was rather loud and Sarah overheard the conversation despite the man turning his back for the call.

"What?" demanded the voice on the other side.

"I need you to come down and cover the desk for me," O'Dragmire answered quietly.

"No way, I have Saturday off until three," the displeased voice replied. "You woke me up."

"Natalie, I have business to do. Get down here," he replied, trying not to let his frustration get the better of him.

"You can do it later, I'm off," she replied.

"This is important business for the hotel," O'Dragmire growled back. "There is a lady here from Hylia."

"Tell her to bugger off,"

"Natalie, you will get your arse down here this instant or I… I will fire you."

"You cannae fire me. I'm your daughter and the only other person who works the bloody desk."

"This is why I need you to get down here. Now!"

"Let me grab something to eat real quick."

"You can eat later. Cover the desk for me first."

"Fine. I'll get dressed and I'm coming."

O'Dragmire hung up the phone gently and turned back around with a fake smile to cover his frustration. "She'll be down in a few minutes."

Sarah took the opportunity to look around the hotel. It was lavishly furnished with grand decorations. Green plants were scattered from the lobby. She watched as the man checked in clients and directed them to various activities around the hotel. There was a full spa as well as a pool and horse stables. Bellhops in red and maids in purple occasionally passed the hallways. They all had the same vibrant hair and tanned skin. The minuets seemed to drag on before a disgruntled teenager in a white button-down shirt and tight pony tail clumped down the stairs.

"Natalie, be nice," O'Dragmire warned as she lifted the partition to come behind the counter. Natalie flashed him a fake smile before playfully pushing him off the chair Sarah had not realized he was sitting on. He stood up his full height and Sarah was surprised to discover how large he really was. He lifted up the partition and ushered Sarah back to the office. Sarah noticed him stuff some wayward objects under his desk. "Have a seat," he invited, waving towards a couch tucked in by the wall. Sarah primly sat. O'Dragmire waited until she was situated before sitting behind the large desk. They stared at each other briefly. "Do you want something to drink?" O'Dragmire offered.

"No, thank you," Sarah replied with a smile. "I want to discuss the proposed annexation with you. You, see, there are distinct benefits to being within the borders of Hylia. For instance, you will have access to our police and fire departments."

"And just when have we ever used those?" O'Dragmire interrupted.

"Never, that I can recall," Sarah replied with a frown. "That doesn't mean the occasion will not arise. You daughter goes to the public high school. She would be eligible for the bus system."

"She gets to school just fine on her own," he replied with a hint of humor.

"How does she get to school?"

"She rides her bike. She has a nice trail cut out all the way down to Hylia."

"She bikes? That doesn't seem safe considering the distance."

"I make her drive when the weather is bad."

Sarah gave him a disbelieving look before gathering her senses and turning back to her task. She flipped open her briefcase and took out a packet of papers. "I brought you a copy of the complete proposal that you may look over," she explained, handing the packet to O'Dragmire. He tossed it on his desk without looking at it.

"Let me ask you something," he began, an edge of frustration creeping into his voice. "What would it cost us to be within the limits of Hylia?"

"You wouldn't have to pay anything, the City of Hylia will cover all costs from the county," Sarah rambled.

"I wasnae talking about money," O'Dragmire interrupted again. "I was talking about the price of our freedom. You are nae Irish so I didnae expect you to understand. This is my land. I bought it with my own money. I bought land that was part of no city for a reason. I didnae want someone telling me what I could and couldnae do. I didnae want to ask permission to use my own land. Right now, this is my land. If Hylia annexes it, it becomes Hylia's land, and I would be borrowing it."

"That isn't how it works at all," Sarah protested.

"Would I nae be paying taxes and if I failed to pay such taxes my land would be taken from me?"

"I see, you don't want to pay taxes."

"This is about more than taxes, Miss Hyrule," O'Dragmire assured her. "It is about defending my home. I take my home very seriously. This is my land and my home. This is my daughter's home, the only one she's ever known. This is the home of my family. We live and work here. I will nae see Hylia meddling in our affairs."

"But think of the benefits," Sarah pushed.

"Lass," O'Dragmire said with an air of finality. "There is nothing Hylia can offer that would compensate for selling my land. I understand you think this will benefit Hylia, but I willnae have it. You may go now." O'Dragmire stood and led her through the door to the lobby.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile, in the Lobby<em>

Natalie watched as her father disappeared into the office with the woman from Hylia. She let out a frustrated sigh and sat slumped behind the counter. She checked the activity sheet and incoming reservations. The lobby was quiet as this wasn't a particularly busy part of the day. Natalie looked out and noticed a man sitting in a secluded corner of the lobby playing on his phone. She snuck out of her perch and crept up behind him. "You are nae a guest here, are you?" she asked suddenly.

"Keyah!" he shouted as he turned about, quite startled. Natalie was looking at him expectantly. "No, I'm not a guest," he panted, catching his breath. "I came here with Miss Hyrule from Hylia."

"Is she here about the land annex thing?" Natalie asked suspiciously.

"Yes," he confirmed.

"Well, we are nae going to allow it," Natalie stated firmly.

"I'm not really involved in it," the man admitted. "I just drove her."

"Oh," Natalie said, sitting down in a chair near him. "Have you ever been out here before?"

"No, I haven't," he replied. "It looks nice, though."

"We work hard on it," Natalie smiled proudly. "Nae many Hylians have been here though. It is kinda funny. We are neighbors but it is like two separate worlds."

"It is, but that is a good thing," the man agreed.

"Nae many Hylians would agree with you," Natalie pointed out.

"Hylia tends to be culturally stagnant," he commented. He held out his hand. "I'm Link Fitzdeku, to whom do I have the pleasure of speaking to?" If Natalie's skin hadn't been so dark Link would have seen a blush creep up.

"Natalie O'Dragmire," she replied, shaking his hand firmly. Thus began the first crush of Natalie O'Dragmire.

"Dragmire, you said?" Link clarified.

"O'Dragmire," corrected Natalie. "It is nae very common, even in Ireland."

"No, I actually think I heard it before," Link replied. He pulled out his phone again and started typing away.

"What are you doing?" Natalie pestered, her curiosity peaked.

"I'm plugging into the ancient archives at the Sheikah University library," Link explained, still fiddling with his phone.

"Did you go to SU?" Natalie asked excitedly. "I'm hoping to go there after I graduate next May."

"No, I went to Kakariko Community College," Link explained. "I couldn't afford SU."

"How did you get access to their archives?" Natalie insisted. "I thought they were restricted."

"They are," confirmed Link, "but I am a computer geek and it is what I do." Link smiled up at the girl before pressing a few more buttons.

"And you can do all that from your phone?"

"Yea," Link answered. "I'm beta testing the kaepora phone. It can pull up just about any information you want but it has ridiculously long prompts for everything you do. Here, I found it." Link handed his phone over to Natalie.

"It is just a picture of a crumbling paper," Natalie responded, looking puzzled.

"It is from a really old text they found several decades ago," Link explained. "Most of it was decayed but they managed to save a few pieces and translated those. It has to deal with the Hyrulian Civil War which happened several millennia ago."

"Okay," Natalie grumbled annoyed, "but I cannae read it."

"It is in an obsolete language," Link answered. "Scroll down for the translation." After fiddling with the phone and having Link set her back to the right page, Natalie found the translated text.

"During the reign of King … Hyrule. Great civil war… ended with help… alliance… Dragmire. United Hylians and… Gorons. Is that all?" Natalie read aloud.

"Yes, the war was so long ago there isn't much information about it." He replied.

"How long has the Hyrule family been running Hylia?" Natalie asked sarcastically. Link shrugged. "What is Gorons?"

"It is the name of the wrestling team at KCC, but it probably meant something different back then." Link answered, taking his phone back and closing out the menu.

"Natalie! Where are you?" her father called as he opened the partition to let Sarah out.

"Right here, Da!" she called back.

"You were supposed to be watching the counter," O'Dragmire said sternly.

"No one came," Natalie shot back defensively.

"How would you know when you are lazing about in the lobby?" her father replied. Natalie rolled her eyes.

"Are you ready to go?" Sarah asked Link as she came over to where they were sitting. The look on her face made it evident things had not gone the way she had hoped. Link nodded and made an odd noise in his throat.

"Bye, Link," Natalie called as the two headed for the door. "It was nice meeting you." Link turned back to smile and wave as he opened the door for Sarah.

"You, too," he called back before stepping out the door.

Natalie had a silly grin plastered on her face as she turned to look at her father. "How did it go?" she asked. O'Dragmire studied her face for a few seconds.

"He's too old for you," he replied, ignoring the question.

"Da!" she cried in alarm. "How did you..?"

"I've been around too many women to miss it," O'Dragmire interrupted. "Do nae worry about it leannán. Go get something to eat. You do nae have to go to work until four if you prefer."

"I do nae have anything better to do today," she sulked. "Oh, Da, Link showed me old manuscript from ancient Hylia that has the name 'Dragmire' on it."

"Well, is nae that a curiosity."


	3. Chapter 2

Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo. The story itself is mine. Short chapter, have fun. ~Trixie.

* * *

><p><em>City of Hylia, Mayor's Office<em>

Sarah sat slumped in her chair, twirling it about absently as she tapped her pen irritably on the arm. It was now Wednesday, and she had spent half a week brooding over O'Dragmire's rejection of her proposal. She had spent the last several nights trying to think of ways to make her deal more appealing, but she could not. She had seen it in his eyes; the pride, determination and stubbornness. Those eyes. They had haunted her since their meeting, both alluring and repelling her. She didn't know why it bothered her so. She jangled her bracelets absently as she let out a frustrated sigh.

She swung around and straightened up. It did her little good to obsess over her small loss. Whether she had Mr. O'Dragmire's consent or not, her proposal was still on the agenda of this evening's city council meeting. Despite her failure, her father had insisted she go ahead and present the proposal to the city. She tried to push the thoughts from her mind and turned to finish her notes for the evening meeting. She finished them quickly, and stared at the wall. The eyes continued to burn into her. Sarah thought she might be going crazy. They seemed vaguely familiar, though she had met him just once. He terrified her, though she could almost blame that on his size and gruff demeanor. Sarah jangled the bracelets and started working on a paper for class.

* * *

><p><em>That Evening<em>

Sarah stood cool and calm in front of the crowded city council room. She had been born for this. Her father had been mayor for as long as she could remember. Sarah had grown up attending meetings and ceremonies. She had a clear voice as she took the podium and began explaining the proposition the gathered crowd. She couldn't help but notice the bright shock of red haired listeners scattered throughout the crowd. She was distracted by them, often glancing at them as she answered questions about the proposed changes. As she left the podium to a round of applause the red haired group left silently, seemingly choreographed. Despite their obvious hair, no one seemed to notice them move.

"Thanks once again," Sarah said with a smile as she bid farewell to a council member. Her proposal had been generally well received and she stayed late to discuss details with interested people. It was already late when she finally had a chance to speak with her father.

"You did very well today," the mayor beamed. 'I am proud of you."

"Thanks," Sarah replied with a smile. She stifled a yawn.

"You've been working on this too hard," he commented in a fatherly manner. "Why don't you go home and rest?" Sarah nodded sleepily.

"I'm still concerned about cooperation from Mr. O'Dragmire," she confessed, stifling another yawn.

"From what you told me, you are not likely to get it," Mayor Hyrule reminded her. "You need to be very appealing to get his consent. He is Irish through and through."

"Irish through and through," Sarah repeated, her mind suddenly coming alive with a new approach to her problem.

"What is it, sweetheart?" he asked with caution, recognizing the devious tone of voice in his daughter. "What are you thinking?"

"I thought of something I need to check on," Sarah replied, her mouth curled in a grin.

"I know that look on your face," the mayor sternly remarked. "You get that look every time you think of something sneaky."

"I haven't thought of anything that isn't legal, Daddy," Sarah assured him.

"I've been a politician long enough to know that doesn't mean anything."

* * *

><p><em>Hotel Gerudo<em>

"C'mon Da!" Natalie cried as she widened the gap between them on the trail. It was early Saturday morning, but Natalie had begged her father to run the trails around the hotel with her before she was scheduled to take the front desk over from the night proctor. O'Dragmire had stayed several paces behind her the entire time. They had been running over four miles when the Hotel Gerudo finally came into view. O'Dragmire let out a challenging cry as he picked up speed and overtook his daughter. Natalie however, had youth and practice to her advantage and let out her own scream as she pumped her legs and pulled into the lead as they ended in the side gardens. Natalie had a victorious grin as she breathed heavy, wiping the sweat off her face.

"Why is it," O'Dragmire panted, catching up to his child, "that I cannae get you out of bed if you have the morning off, but you drag me out of bed when I finally have a chance to sleep in?" Natalie smiled as she began to stretch while O'Dragmire sat on a bench and tried to catch his breath.

"I wanted to see if you could keep up with me now that I'm on the track team," Natalie explained, still grinning wildly.

"Natalie," chided O'Dragmire, "I could never keep up with you. You have too much energy and your da is getting old."

"You do pretty good," Natalie assured him. "Am I getting better?" she asked hopefully. She may have been an ornery teenager but she still worshiped her father and sought his approval.

"Your grammar is still horrible," O'Dragmire shot reprovingly. "It should be, 'you do well.'" Natalie rolled her eyes.

"At least your mind works _well_ in your old age," Natalie quipped.

"I'll show you old age," O'Dragmire grinned maliciously before shooting off the bench to subdue Natalie in a headlock. Natalie struggled and kicked, to no avail. She whined that he was hurting despite her peals of laughter. O'Dragmire finally loosened his grip and let Natalie skip away out of his arm's reach.

"Da, you _stink_," Natalie giggled as she maneuvered to keep out of her father's grasp.

"You do nae smell flower-like yourself," he teased back, faking a lunge to make Natalie stumble. "Go take a shower so you can relieve your auntie," he commanded. Natalie flashed a wide grin on her flushed face and trotted off to the hotel. O'Dragmire settled down on the stone bench to enjoy the morning. Natalie took long showers so O'Dragmire had some free time. He rarely had time to himself, especially in the quiet morning hours. He gazed upon the land he had built with his wife, and raised his daughter on. When he first moved here from Ireland he thought he would never come to love the place, but this was now most certainly home.

"I wish you could see how the place has grown," he whispered into the wind. "The hotel has grown so much you wouldnae recognize it. Natalie is almost a grown woman, but I expect you would always recognize your daughter. She has your attitude and smile. She is very mature for her age, but sometimes she reminds me that she is still just seventeen. We get by, but I miss you a ghrá mo chroí."

* * *

><p>Natalie was doodling lazily at the front desk. It was a slow day. Tomorrow they were to shut the hotel down for a full month for much needed renovations and repairs. The only thing Natalie had to do was check out the last of the guests and answer the phones. She checked her watch for the hundredth time before noticing movement from the ornate front doors. The lady from the city walked in. She marched confidently up to the counter.<p>

"I'd like to speak with Mr. O'Dragmire, please," she stated curtly before Natalie had a chance to give a falsely pleasant greeting.

"Da is off this morning," Natalie replied just as icily. "We are going to be closing the hotel down for the next month. Didnae he already tell you no to your proposal?" Sarah gave a frustrated pout.

"There have been some new issues to arise and it is imperative that I discuss them with him," insisted Sarah. "I had no idea you were shutting the hotel down, but it is in his best interest to speak with me, especially if he is going to be even harder to reach the next several weeks." Natalie rolled her eyes but picked up the phone.

"Da?" Natalie whispered into the phone. "Yeah, it's me. That lady from Hylia is here again. I do nae know, she says it's important. I think she's up to something, Da. Okay, I'll tell her.

"He'll be down in few minutes."

"That will be fine, thank you," Sarah replied primly. They stood in awkward silence for a while. Sarah had time to notice how eerily still the resort was.

"Excuse me, miss?" Natalie asked tentatively.

"Hyrule," Sarah prompted.

"Miss Hyrule," Natalie restarted. "Did Link come with you by any chance?"

"Who?" Sarah clarified. "Oh, Fitzdeku. No, my car is back from the shop so I drove myself.

"Oh," replied Natalie, looking clearly disappointed. Another long pause.

"Why are you closing the hotel down?" Sarah finally asked out of curiosity.

"We update the décor every few years to keep things fresh for our regular guests," a gruff voice answered from behind, causing Sarah to jump. Natalie gave her father a queer look, as if he gave an odd answer. She watched him fidget nervously with the long sleeves of his suit jacket and shrugged. "This way," O'Dragmire directed Sarah, leading her back to his office.

Sarah suppressed a smile as O'Dragmire let out a low oath as he picked up Natalie's forgotten school bag and hauled it under his desk. She had a suspicion that the teen had a pile of articles hidden under the large oak desk. She felt uncomfortable as she sat on the couch, aware that the large man was studying her closely with his intense eyes.

"Well, what do you want now?" He asked cautiously, as if he knew her reply could not be good.

"Did you ever have a chance to read over the proposal?" Sarah asked neutrally, losing her nerve under O'Dragmire's stare.

"I didnae read it," he replied levelly, mistrust still evident in his tone. Sarah bit her lip, trying to find the lines she had been practicing for the occasion. She didn't want to appear conniving, but suddenly she forgot her carefully chosen wording. "Miss Hyrule, I have a daughter. You have thought of something sneaky. You might as well speak your piece." Sarah blinked a few time at his bluntness.

"Mr. O'Dragmire," Sarah began plainly, taking a deep breath. "You are an Irishman, correct."

"Aye."

"You are an Irishman even though you have been living here for several decades."

"Aye, one does nae give up his heritage simply because of geographical relocation."

"I understand," Sarah added tensely. "You are obviously proud of your Irish culture."

"Miss Hyrule," he replied, frustrated impatience creeping into his voice, "I would appreciate it if you would get to the point."

"You never filed for citizenship," Sarah blurted out. O'Dragmire's breath caught as he finally realized what she was getting at.

"No," he whispered, staring at his clasped hands.

"Therefore you are not eligible to vote in the up coming election that includes the land acquisition proposal," Sarah whispered back, suddenly feeling less victorious than she had previously. Indeed, a sense of impending dread washed over her.

"I can still file a motion to strike the hotel's land from the boundaries," O'Dragmire insisted, turning his glare to the young intern.

"Not directly," Sarah corrected. "Because you are not a citizen you may only petition to amend the boundaries, but it would require a three-fourths vote to submit the motion to the council."

"This is my land," O'Dragmire seethed darkly. "Why do your laws render me powerless to control my own land? I thought Hylia was the land of balance and justice."

"The laws are in place to ensure balance and justice," Sarah insisted defensively.

"Bullshit," O'Dragmire spat, causing Sarah to inwardly cringe. "I bought this land and built it up from nothing. I will nae be suddenly told what I may and may nae do, and have to bribe Hylia to run as usual."

"Mr. O'Dragmire," Sarah retorted, her temper flaring as well. "I have been trying to work with you to get your input on this. I am not trying to take your control away, but you have to understand you do not have the power to block the proceedings like you once thought. I _want _to make the proposal acceptable to you, but I need your cooperation to do so. If you want your input on this, that is your choice. This was very well received so it is likely it will be voted through whether you will or no." The two glared intently together for what felt like an eternity. A knock on the door interrupted their staring contest as Natalie popped her head in the door without waiting for a reply.

"The last guest checked out," she informed her father. She sensed the tense air of the room and looked at her father in concern.

"Thank you," he replied, trying to force a carefree smile. "Once they pull out of the parking lot go ahead and reconcile the till. We're fine." He added when she hesitated to leave. Natalie disappeared and the two looked at each other again, though the tension had diffused somewhat. Sarah rubbed her wrist under the bracelets she always wore. They continued to sit in a silent stalemate for another uncomfortable eon.

"You know," O'Dragmire commented dourly, sinking into the back of his chair. "If I wanted a foreigner telling me how to run my own land I would have stayed in Ireland."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I'm from Northern Ireland," O'Dragmire explained wearily. "We are technically part of the British Commonwealth, although we are in Ireland." Sarah had a puzzled look. "Well, explain your proposal to me," he added, digging through a stack of papers on the floor to find the discarded packet.

"Are you willing to cooperate?" Sarah asked hopefully.

"No," O'Dragmire admitted with a defeated smile on his face. "I simply refuse to go into battle without knowing what my enemy is."

"Hylia is not your enemy," she replied, exhausted from his stubborn defiance.

"Is it nae?" O'Dragmire replied humorously, enjoying Sarah's exasperation. Sarah merely took a deep breath before turning her attention to the typed proposal.

"The first section explains the current boundaries and the proposed changes," Sarah lectured. "If you flip to the back I included a map to show exactly what is included in the proposal,"

* * *

><p>It was several hours later when Sarah finally emerged from the small office to the empty and silent lobby. Sarah jangled her bracelets nervously as she crossed the empty lobby and exited the building. Both she and O'Dragmire had the same stubborn expressions, as if they were both prepared to do battle, and unsure of the outcome, but unwilling to show weakness. The parking lot was eerily void of cars and even the sky seemed ominous. A light drizzle began to fall as she threw her car into reverse and headed down the steep trail. O'Dragmire watched from the front window as the white car slowly left his parking lot. He was absolutely frustrated about the turn of events, but determined to get his way. He noticed the light rain and muttered a soft, "Thank God." Rain was scarce but much needed. He stepped outside and let the sudden downpour soak his work clothes. The usual dry conditions made the roads all the more treacherous when wet. He gave half a thought to the welfare of the Hylian woman, but decided her safety was her own business. It always seemed like it was either drought or flood here. O'Dragmire took a few minutes to calm down before returning to the lobby.<p>

"It does nae look good, O'Dragmire," one of the employees referred to the rain outside in a heavy Irish brogue. She passed through the lobby, looking amusedly at her boss standing soaked in the lobby.

"Oh?" he replied absently, pulling off his sopping jacket and flinging it carelessly over a nearby chair.

"We are nae replacing the furniture, you know," she admonished with a slight smile. The usual formality of the hotel was quickly vanishing as the staff sensed the reprieve of visitors. O'Dragmire grumbled and removed the offending blazer and loosened his tie. A few more employees crept hopefully into the lobby, awaiting their boss's official word to sever the last cords of tension hovering over the hotel.

O'Dragmire looked at the sea of red hair waiting on his word. They had been good employees, and worked tirelessly to keep the place running smoothly with an air of splendor, even when funds were low. "The hotel is now closed," he called. An excited whoop rang out over the crowd, the noise attracting more flame haired workers to the lobby. The staff was accustomed to long hours, and a month long break was a rare treat, even if they would be busy doing repairs in the interim.

"Is it time to start tearing down the wallpaper, O'Dragmire?" Shannon, the head housekeeper, called. She had a great eye for design and had long since grown tired of the walls.

"No," O'Dragmire replied warmly. "Let us have a day of rest first. Lord knows we need it. Besides, I'm having our personal chef make a good Irish stew and brown bread for dinner. I thought we could have a céilí tonight before we start repairs." An excited whisper rippled through the crowd. The band of immigrants still held fast to their traditions, despite having to put them aside to cater to the usual guests. It was relieving to be able to forget they were near Hylia and just be Irish for a night.

"O'Dragmire!" Anna called in alarm as she tore down the stairs. The entire crowd hushed at once as O'Dragmire's commanding presence once again made itself apparent. He signaled Anna, who had a propensity of hanging out in the clock tower, to continue. "The bridge to Hylia is out. The rain flooded the river and washed it away."

"All of our later departures came the other way. They should be fine," he assured the suddenly worried crowd. Anna shook her short, shaggy hair.

"There was a little white car that turned left at the main road," she insisted. O'Dragmire knew very well the clock tower had a clear view for many miles, and Anna's eyes were sharp. "She was going fast but she wouldnae have made it in time."

O'Dragmire cursed aloud and his employees would have panicked except O'Dragmire's constitution would not have allowed it. Instead they stood at ready for his orders. O'Dragmire pointed out a few of his strongest workers and calmly commanded, "Come with me." They obeyed silently while the others remained at the watch. O'Dragmire stormed off to the side door to where the hotel's vehicles were kept. Natalie, who was just returning from the vault, encountered them along the way. The look of focused determination on her father's face alerted her to the seriousness of the situation.

"What is going on?" she demanded, nearly jogging to keep up with her father's long strides.

"Anna does nae think that fool from Hylia made it across the bridge before it washed out," he growled, stopping briefly to fumble through the key box for a set of car keys.

"I'll come with," Natalie offered hopefully, careless of possible danger in the way of teenagers.

"Absolutely nae," her father said with an air of finality, cutting off her protest with a swift gesture. Natalie stood pouting in the doorway as he left the sanctum and headed for the hotel's large black four-wheel drive. It may have been larger and more powerful than the hotel really needed, but O'Dragmire was, after all, a man. A man who had a penchant for large vehicles. The roar of the engine reverberated through the lobby as O'Dragmire tore off into the storm and his daughter sulked back to the lobby.

The pouring rain made it hard to see, but O'Dragmire knew the terrain well and was overconfident in the abilities of both himself and his vehicle. It seemed like an eternity before he stopped the car, and gazed awestruck at the sight of the flooded river tearing angrily through the landscape. It took Anna a brief moment before she spotted her quarry and tugged on her boss's sleeve, pointing out a white car overturned by the side rail, precariously close to the rapids. O'Dragmire gave Anna a disbelieving look which she returned with a mischievous smile. He hadn't asked her to come and didn't realize she had tagged along, yet here she was. He smiled back briefly, mystified at how the women in his life could simultaneously obey him, ignore him, be incredibly useful and get in the way.

O'Dragmire returned his focus to the crisis at hand. He trotted over to the white car, thankful the rain was letting up. He crouched by the driver's door and looked in. Sarah was still strapped in, but blood was covering the interior and she wasn't responding to his calls. They tried unsuccessfully to pry the door open, but eventually had to cut through Sarah's car straps and haul her out through the broken window. "Please do nae have a broken back," O'Dragmire prayed aloud as he twisted her awkwardly to avoid the jagged edges of the window. His companions managed to wrap Sarah in a blanket, still unable to guess the severity of her wounds, and get her hauled into the black vehicle. O'Dragmire was just turning the vehicle around when the river surged, dragging the white car with it as it dived over the cliff face. He watched in the rearview mirror as the river swelled to a greater width than he had ever seen. Wider than he thought the recent storm warranted. He almost thought he saw a vehicle on the other side of the ruined roadway, but a second glance reveled nothing.

O'Dragmire had a sudden impression that something was wrong. He turned around to check on the sleeping Hylian, but he was assured that she would most defiantly live. She looked like Mary did right after being kicked by a horse a few years back, just with more scrapes from the broken glass, and it really wasn't so much blood after all. It still felt wrong. He wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline of the near crisis, his timely arrival at the wrecked vehicle, the severity of the storm, the power of the river, the persistent girl now in his custody, or the vehicle he may or may not have seen. He anxiously tugged at the sleeves of his now ruined dress shirt while trying to shove out the feeling of something being off. O'Dragmire cautiously threw the four-wheel drive into gear and headed back home.


	4. Chapter 3

Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo.

As always, thank you for reading my story. I hope you are enjoying it. ~Trixie

* * *

><p>Sarah was trapped in a dream. She was tumbling through a river, unable to keep her head above the water. Unnamed monsters clawed at her face and arms as she struggled to break the surface. They called out to her, not the name she went by, but by the first name she rarely used. The surface of the water held little comfort for her. Dark clouds had rolled in and plastered her with freezing rain. A light pierced the clouds, sending its welcoming beam through the terrain. Where was she? It was still dark. The beam was not so bright after all, and could be traced to a single point behind her eyelids. Behind her eyelids. She was asleep then. All she had to do to escape the monsters was wake up. Sarah opened her eyes.<p>

The single point of light was painfully closed and burned her retinas. Sarah groaned and raised a hand to cover her eyes, but it made her entire arm hurt. With her full awareness came the sensation of pain all over. "Do you know where you are?" a feminine voice asked as soon as her moan ceased. She could sense the light was dimmer and cautiously opened her eyes again and blinked.

"I cannot see," she whispered, trying to recognize her surroundings.

"I told you she was hurt worse than you thought," a deep voice grumbled from her left.

"No," she clarified; trying to shake her head, but her head throbbed. "It is too dark."

"Da, the power went out right after you left, and we cannae get the generators working," a peppy voice chimed.

"Why didnae you get the flashlights?" the male voice asked irritably.

"We couldnae find them, I think the candles are cool," the young voice replied. The lights flickered on slowly and immediately went out again.

"Do you know what is going on?" the original female voice asked Sarah calmly. Sarah blinked for a minute.

"I was driving," she answered slowly. "The road wasn't there anymore, and now I am here."

"Do you know where you are?" the deep male voice asked again. The lights flickered a few times before deciding to remain on. Sarah was looking into the eyes that had haunted her for the past week. She gasped and recoiled into the couch she was laying on. Her sudden panic gave way to the realization there was no malice in his gaze, it was impatience tinged with concern. She looked around.

"How did I end up back at the hotel?" Sarah asked, attempting to sit up. She fought the aches and ended upright, fighting dizziness to stay up.

"You said you were driving," the large man answered levelly. Sarah tried to remember his name but the dull ache in her body seemed to spread to her mind. Dragmire… O'Dragmire was his name. "The bridge washed out. We found your car upside down by where the bridge used to be. You were unconscious so we brought you here." Sarah continued to look around in amazement. She attempted to stand but a sharp pain brought her back to her seat.

"What is wrong?" one of the red haired women asked, immediately appearing by her side. Sarah motioned to her leg. He woman shuffled the stained blanket to expose her leg. She examined the tender area gingerly. "It is broken," she informed Sarah confidently. "It is a simple break. I can set it for you if you like."

"Are you a doctor?" Sarah asked, testing the muscles in the leg. The leg throbbed.

"Horse doctor," the woman replied casually. "But bones is bones." Sarah looked at the woman suspiciously.

"I mean no offence, but I would rather wait to see a real doctor," Sarah replied primly, moving the blanket back over her. The blanket was rather bloody, but she didn't like being on display for these strange people. The woman merely shrugged.

"Have it your way," she said easily. "You should know that there is nae a way to get back to Hylia, and the storm is too dangerous to try and get you to Acrimon. The longer you let a broken bone sit the harder it is to repair it."

"How long do you think it will be before I can get to a hospital?" Sarah asked in alarm. She had never been in such a situation and it unnerved her.

"I do nae know," Anna piped up. "We have never seen a storm this bad. It just doesn't seem to let up." Sarah sat pensively while the red haired staff waited silently.

"Go ahead then," she finally decided. "Can I just get cleaned up a little first?" The veterinarian, who introduced herself as Patricia, herded everyone out of the lobby when it was clear Sarah could not tolerate being moved. Natalie appeared with clean sheets and a blanket as well as a washcloth. Sarah began to clean her face while the staff ran up and down the stairs, trying to find her something clean to wear. Patricia had gone to the stables for supplies.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," said Natalie, taking back a nightgown, "this is the largest gown we could find." Sarah had always prided herself on her figure but the Hotel Gerudo employees were tiny in comparison. Active lives and a careful grocery budget rendered the women taught with lean muscle, while Sarah's slenderness was still soft and curvaceous. Not a single article of clothing could be found that would fit her comfortably. "Wait just a minute," Natalie insisted as she scampered off.

"I'd rather you put on something clean," Patricia said as she laid out bandages and splints. "You have a higher risk of infection if you keep wearing those dirty clothes."

"Nothing fits me," Sarah replied in exasperation. "You are all too skinny." Patricia shot Sarah a satisfied smirk and handed her some pills.

"I brought you some ibuprofen," she offered. "We do nae have anything better that is meant for humans."

Sarah swallowed the pills with a glass of water. "Thanks," she replied gratefully, willing the ache would go away.

"Here you go!" Natalie exclaimed, throwing a large t-shirt at her. Sarah pulled the shirt over her head and stared at the result. She practically swam in it, or would have if moving didn't hurt so much. Sarah gave Natalie a quizzical look. "It is Da's," she explained. Sarah blushed but shimmied out of her torn and dirty clothes. Now that Sarah was relatively clean Natalie covered the couch Sarah occupied with clean sheets and blankets.

"I want you to lie down," Patricia directed, examining the injured leg once more. Sarah tensed as she anticipated the coming pain. Natalie hovered over the back of the couch while Patricia finished examining the leg. "This is going to hurt," Patricia confessed and grabbed Sarah's leg and exerted pressure. Sarah let out a terrified scream and her leg convulsed.

"What happened?" O'Dragmire demanded, shooting around the corner.

"I tried to set her leg, but she yanked it," Patricia replied, looking quite annoyed. Sarah had a look of panic on her face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered brokenly. "It hurt."

"You need to get this done or it will hurt worse to fix later on," Patricia replied soothingly, as if she were talking to a frightened horse. Sarah nodded and Patricia tried again with the same result.

"I hate to do this, Miss Hyrule," O'Dragmire sighed. "We are going to have to hold you down. I know it will nae be pleasant but it will be better in the long run if we can get this over with." Sarah nodded with tears pricking at her eyes. "Jessie, Mona, come hold down her legs," O'Dragmire called. They appeared immediately, as if they had been waiting just around the corner for his command. In reality the entire staff was gathered just out of eyesight, curious about the events.

"What do you want me to do?" Natalie asked hopefully.

"I want you to go," her father answered sternly. "Is that my shirt?"

"Aye, it is. I'd like to stay here."

"I'd like you to stop going through my things, now go."

Natalie sulked off but remained in the corner where she could easily watch. O'Dragmire took both of Sarah's hands in his and leaned across her body, pinning her torso under his weight. Jessie and Mona both took a leg.

"I'm sorry," Patricia murmured as she again applied pressure to the fractured bone. This time, with Sarah immobilized, she was able to set the bone in its rightful place. Sarah again let out a pained scream. Jessie and Mona backed away as soon as the deed was done, but O'Dragmire remained. He cradled the sobbing Hylian against his chest and rocked her as she clung to his shirt. He murmured soothingly to her as Patricia quickly splinted the leg.

Sarah clung to the large man, pain driving out all inhibitions she might have felt as to who was holding her. Her fingers clenched the fabric of his shirt as her breaths became less ragged and the sobs subsided. She allowed herself to be soothed by the surprisingly gentle voice until, exhausted, she fell to sleep.

O'Dragmire placed the sleeping Hylian back onto the makeshift bed, covered her with a blanket and silently left the lobby. "I'm sorry your céilí didnae work out, O'Dragmire," Mona sympathized as they met with the waiting staff. He merely shrugged.

"It's alright," he shrugged. "We'll try again tomorrow. I'm too tired to attempt anything now." There was a satisfied murmur that was a far cry from the excitement of before.

"Stew is all the better for the keeping," the elderly cook added, giving her boss a tender pat on the back. "I think we all are tired at this point." The crowd murmured their assent and filed into the dining hall to share a quick meal before retiring.

* * *

><p>Sarah dreamed again. Dark dreams. They haunted her every turn, filling her with dread. She couldn't quite understand what was going on. She hadn't had nightmares since she was a child. Sarah felt trapped, as if she didn't know what was hunting her. She awoke with a startled gasp and shot up in bed, but it wasn't her bed. She looked around in surprise, the events of the day before slowly penetrating the fog of her nightmares. She replayed the previous night in her mind, shifting her blankets when she remembered her diagnosis. Her leg was immobilized with a neat splint. Sarah groaned and recovered herself. She noticed a bottle of ibuprofen and water left near her and eagerly swallowed a few pills. Not hearing anyone stirring, she settled back into the couch and let the rain lull her back into a light sleep.<p>

Sarah stirred again when she heard soft footsteps on the carpet near her. She blinked her eyes open and was startled to see several pairs of eyes gazing over her. "Where did you all come from?" Sarah exclaimed, pushing herself into a sitting position.

"Morning, princess," Natalie chirped back, setting herself on the floor. Sarah realized with amazement that it was Natalie's careless steps and not those of her large father that had woken her.

"How are you feeling?" the larger man asked sincerely. Sarah gazed around at the small contingent hovering over her. They were all barefoot and still in their pajamas, a stark contrast to the richly decorated lobby she had slept in. O'Dragmire was in a large, long sleeved t-shirt and plaid pants, Natalie is a smaller and snugger version. Patricia and Anna were both garbed in tight, cropped clothing which Sarah would call indecent.

"My leg still aches," confessed Sarah, trying to rearrange her bedding to be more modest, feeling she had to make up for the women.

"What kind of pain is it?" Patricia asked, uncovering Sarah's leg without asking permission. "Is it a dull ache or a sharp pain?"

"More of a dull ache, I think," Sarah replied, abashed as Patricia began to expose her leg and unwrap the splint. O'Dragmire sensed her tension and turned his back. Patricia quickly examined the leg and rewrapped it.

"Your scrapes are looking much better. You shouldn't even notice them in a week or so. Your leg is still swollen, which is to be expected, but the bone should heal just fine." Patricia declared confidently.

"How do you know, you don't have an x-ray?" Sarah asked incredulously. Patricia rolled her eyes and left without answering. She was quickly replaced by a few more curious staff.

"Breakfast is almost ready, O'Dragmire," Mona informed while gazing curiously at Sarah.

"What do you think about the Hotel?" Anna asked suddenly as if Sarah had been a paying guest.

"What I've seen of it is nice," Sarah asked, shooting her a bewildered look.

"We washed your clothes," Mona informed her cheerfully. "They are kind of ragged now. I also washed some of Natalie's old track clothes that might fit you. She was rather chubby before she became so tall," she teased. Natalie stuck her tongue out playfully.

"People get chubby right before a growth spurt," the lanky teen said defensively.

"_Children_ get chubby before growth spurts," Mona shot back, ducking a punch. "Regardless, it would probably be more comfortable than the stuffy suit."

"That is fine," Sarah sighed. "I don't think I'm making out of here with my dignity in tact anyway."

"What makes you say that?" Natalie asked, flopping onto her stomach in the way of teens.

"I'm not used to being seen in public in t-shirts or sweats," Sarah replied, taking the offered clothes. O'Dragmire mumbles about something he needed to check on and left the lobby.

"You're in the hotel," Anna pointed out. "There are no guests so this is hardly public." Sarah waited for the women to leave so she could change, but they did not budge. She let out a sigh and tried to change while preserving her modesty.

"I don't work here," Sarah explained, using the large shirt she had slept in as a changing tent. "I feel like I am on display."

"Who is there to be on display for?" Mona asked. "We are all women, here."

"And Da," Natalie added.

"I do nae think he counts," Anna countered.

"Do you really think we'd dress like this in front of guests?" Mona asked. "As soon as guests leave we let loose. We have to be stuffy most of the time. It is nice when it is just us girls."

"And Da," Natalie added.

"He does nae count," Anna insisted.

"Natalie is right," Sarah argued, trying to shimmy into the pants without disturbing the blankets. "Mr. O'Dragmire is still a man."

"He does nae count," Anna explained amusedly. "He is related by marriage to everyone here, and Natalie is his daughter."

"You mean this really is some polygamist sect?" Sarah asked with disgust.

"No!" Mona laughed. "I do nae know how that rumor got started but I know it is a pervasive one in Hylia. O'Dragmire married my sister. Anna is my cousin. Everyone here is a sister, cousin, aunt or niece of some sort. He does nae think of us like _that_."

"Oh," Sarah mumbled, quite embarrassed. "So you all live together somewhere, then?"

"Right here," Anna replied proudly.

"Here?"

"Yes," Natalie laughed. "At first it was just Da, Mum and I, but when the aunts all moved over we had to close the top floor down to house everyone. That is when we became the "exclusive" resort." By now, Sarah had finished dressing and sat up, discarding the oversized shirt. She looked with dismay at her borrowed clothing. Although they were Natalie's "chubby" clothes, it was tighter around the hips and bust than Sarah would have preferred.

"There," Anna said with satisfaction as Sarah sat up, mindful of her injured extremity. "Now you look Gerudo."

"Pardon?" Sarah asked, confused.

"Employee of the Hotel Gerudo is a rather wordy title," Mona explained. "So we call ourselves Gerudo for short when no one else is around."

"What does Gerudo mean?" Sarah asked. "I've never heard it before."

"I do nae know," Anna admitted. "I think it is something Aislin made up. I do nae think it really means anything, but we use it as a noun, verb, or adjective. It has come to define us since we were displaced from Ireland."

"Who is Aislin?" Sarah asked.

"My sister; O'Dragmire's wife," Mona whispered.

"Oh," Sarah whispered. "Why did you all come over from Ireland? You obviously love it." The group became silent and tense, as if it were a taboo subject.

"Breakfast is served," O'Dragmire boomed, reentering the lobby. He seemed almost surprised to see Sarah dressed in so casual clothing. Sarah blushed slightly at his gaze.

"Sarah shouldnae try to walk yet," Patricia sternly informed her boss, appearing suddenly. "I looked but we do nae have any crutches or anything of that nature."

"I'll eat with her out here," Natalie offered cheerfully. Sarah inwardly cringed at the thought of being stuck on the couch until she could be rescued. O'Dragmire looked around quickly.

"To hell with that," he smiled jovially. "You might as well come meet the family." He stooped down and swiftly picked up Sarah. She gave a startled gasp and clung to his neck, the bracelets she had failed to remove jangling furiously. O'Dragmire grinned and carried her into the dining room.

The tables had been rearranged from their usual pattern into one large family table. Sarah was seated at one corner, where should prop her injured leg on a cushion placed on an extra chair. Natalie seated herself next to Sarah, grinning as her aunts noisily seated themselves around the table. O'Dragmire hushed them as he took the head of the table and led them in a short prayer. The food was passed down the table, having to be refilled several times as several dozen redheads had to be fed. Sarah smiled silently from her corner, thinking how different the boisterous meal was compared to what she was used to. The women joked back and forth, breaking up their accented English with random Gaelic phrases. Sarah, being an only child, was used to quiet, formal meals. The informality and familiarity were both strange and comforting. Informality for Sarah meant she dined alone.

* * *

><p>"How are you feeling?" O'Dragmire asked as he lowered Sarah back onto her couch.<p>

"Fine," Sarah shrugged, adjusting the cushions to her comfort. "Do you think there is any chance I can get out of here today?" It was O'Dragmire's turn to shrug.

"The rain is nae letting up, so I do nae know," he replied honestly. "It is rather unusual. We are lucky to have a few hours rain so I do nae know how long this will last. How did you enjoy your breakfast?"

"It was different," Sarah replied neutrally.

"Nae used to a traditional breakfast?" O'Dragmire smiled.

"No," Sarah replied, "I'm not used to so much noise. I don't exactly come from a large family."

"I'm an only child, too," O'Dragmire offered, lowering himself into a chair opposite the Hylian.

"How did you know I am an only child?"

"You act like one."

"I do not!" Sarah protested.

"Yes, you do. It is nae a widely known fact but I have kept in touch with your father over the years."

"I never realized he knew you very well."

"Because you're an only child and do nae pay attention to what does nae directly concern you."

"You are an only child as well, _sir."_

O'Dragmire chuckled, "That I am, but I somehow doubt my upbringing was similar to yours in any other way."

"How so?" Sarah challenged, meeting his eyes fiercely.

"I had a single mother," O'Dragmire started off. "We were desperately poor and lived with my two old great-grandmothers. They were twins, but I swear there only should have been one of them. They were like opposite sides of the same coin; both crazy, but I loved them. They even died at the same time. They gave me my love of history, though. Sometimes I wonder why I never bothered to learn Hylia's history."

"I'm so sorry," Sarah sympathised. "What happened."

"Granny Keara burned herself rather badly cooking one evening and was in the hospital," O'Dragmire explained. "Granny Kiana was going to visit her and slipped on the ice going down the stairs. At the same time something went horribly wrong with Granny Keara and she was gone. It was almost like they couldnae function without the other." Sarah failed to hide her horrified expression. "The people in my family do nae exactly have easy deaths. My mother was in a bus accident and my wife had cancer. It makes me wonder what is in store for me."

"You shouldn't talk about your own death," Sarah whispered superstiously. "It is bad luck."

"As the saying goes," O'Dragmire chuckled as he stood up. "If I didnae have bad luck I'd have no luck at all." The lights flickered off again. "There you go, I'll send someone in to check on you in a little while." With that he wandered off and left Sarah alone in the lobby. Even though it should have been daylight, the driving rain rendered the lobby dimly lit.

The morning passed slowly for Sarah. Natalie appeared breifly to give Sarah a flashlight and a stack of magazines. Unfortuantly Natalie's magazine stash was directed to a younger audience and few of the articals caught Sarah's interest. She was about to scream from boredom when the lights finally came back on. She spent another hour alone trying to gain interest in things desperatley important for high schoolers.

"Have you ever been to a céilí?" a deep voice called suddenly, awakening Sarah from a light doze.

"No, what is a céilí?" she replied, willing her heartbeat to slow down.

"It is supposed to be a traditional Irish social dance," O'Dragmire grinned. "Since none of us really know how we just put on some music and jump around. We're having lunch first so you might as well come."

"I'm so bored I'd do just about anything right now," Sarah confessed.

"No wonder," he replied, flipping through the magazines Natalie had left. "What is this trash? Most of the time Natalie is mature and responsible and then she turns around and is interested in this. She makes me wonder."

"She is only seventeen after all," Sarah reminded him. He shot her a smile and once again lifted her up and carried her to the dining room. The room was as boisterous as before and Sarah even managed to join in the conversation at intervals. After the cook's stew was devoured the tables were pushed to the side and a small stereo was set out. Sarah watched with great amusement as an array of music ranging from traditional Celtic to modern rock was played. For every song the majority of the staff, the boss included, released themselves to wild abandon and danced. The dance was carefree and often graceless. Laughter rang out as people collided. It was a far cry from _Riverdance_ Sarah had seen when it toured through Hylia, but just as entertaining. Sarah was disappointed when the power went out once again, but oil lamps were brought in and the women took turns singing to keep the festive atmosphere going. The atmosphere slowly morphed from jubilation to sedation.

"What do you think?" Natalie grinned as she approached the forgotten invalid.

"That was different," Sarah smiled back, motioning for Natalie to sit down. "I went to all the dances in high school and partied some in college, but they were nothing like this. This was fun."

"I'd hate to go to your dances and parties if they are nae fun," Natalie replied sarcastically. "Da is making me go to the winter formal," she added with disgust.

"What is so wrong with that?"

"I do nae want to go," Natalie mourned. "It will be a bunch of Hylians with no sense of humor. I might have been raised here but I just do nae "get" Hylians. They do nae always understand me either, and I kind of stand out. I feel like I am caught between two worlds. Am I Irish, Hylian or neither?"

"Why can't you be both?" Sarah asked gently.

"It feels disloyal somehow," Natalie replied glumly, "especially with _your_ proposal. Hylia wants to be a booming progressive city while we just want to be left alone to our traditional, if odd, ways." They sat in an awkward silence.

"Are you on any of the teams at your school?" Sarah asked conversationally.

"Yeah, Da said I had to become more involved so I joined the track and cross country teams," Natalie answered. "I like it, I guess. There is only one boy who can beat me. He says it is because of his lucky rabbit foot. Are you on any teams?"

"Not since high school," Sarah recalled fondly. "I took archery and I was on the Rutos swim team."

"You went to Rauru Preparatory Academy?" Natalie questioned, getting excited again. "I wanted to go there. I had a scholarship and everything, but then I wound up going to Talon High School instead." She rolled her eyes to show how she felt about her school.

"What happened?" Sarah asked, sensing Natalie's great disappointment. She waived her hand around at the women occupying the room.

"They came over before I was supposed to start, and there went all the money Da had saved up," Natalie sighed. "I know you help out family, and sometimes you have to make sacrifices, and I do nae regret helping them at all, but I'm still disappointed sometimes. Rauru Prep dumps right into Sheikah U, but I doubt I'll get to go there either."

"I didn't know you were so academic," Sarah remarked, quite impressed.

"It is a little known fact," Natalie admitted. "I've tried to pretend I'm nae so into school anymore. I do nae want Da to feel bad because he couldnae send me."

"Why won't you be able to go to SU? If you got a scholarship to Rauru Prep you should be able to get one to Sheikah U. You could probably get a scholarship for first generation college student." Sarah encouraged. Natalie shook her head.

"Da has a degree. I've looked into scholarships but we cannae afford to make up the difference," Natalie whispered conspiratorially. "I know we look like and awesome resort, but we do nae actually bring in much of a profit. It costs a lot to support so many people."

"Why are you whispering?" Sarah whispered back.

"Da does nae want the aunts to know," Natalie replied in a low voice. "That is partly why I help run the front desk. No one knows but me. The night proctor only reconciles the deviations on the income. She has no idea what the expenses are." Natalie let out a heavy sigh that betrayed the weight that came with her knowledge. "I'm torn about the hotel as well. I love it because it is my home and where my family is, but sometimes it feels like a dead end. Da is letting me major in whatever I want to in college, but I'll be right back here helping run things after I graduate."

"I'm sorry," Sarah whispered sincerely. "Most likely I'll get a place with the city after I graduate, but it is what I've always wanted. Everyone says I was born to run Hylia." Natalie gave a sideways grimace and was apparently absorbed in her own self-pity. It took a while for Sarah to realize Natalie had gone silent because her father was standing over them.

"Everything okay?" he asked; the exaltation of the previous hours still apparent on his face. Sarah grinned up at him silently but Natalie sat unmoved.

"Yeah," she muttered sullenly.

"Natalie, what is wrong?" O'Dragmire asked with concern, picking up her tone of voice.

"Nothing," she sighed dramatically. This was a time she was most definitely seventeen.

"Natalie, you know you can talk to me about anything," he probed. Natalie sat in silent contemplation, her father waited for her to speak her mind. Sarah was helpless to diffuse the situation or leave and give the two privacy. Natalie chewed on her lower lip.

"Sometimes I feel like my life has been decided for me," Natalie confessed, not looking her father in the eyes. "I do nae like feeling as if I do nae have a say in what happens in my future."

"Dearheart, I always said you can do anything you like, within reason, once you graduate high school," Her father assured her, crouching down to level.

"You say that, but we both know what will happen if I do nae come back here." Natalie replied gravely. "Some of the aunts are younger than you, you know." O'Dragmire made a gesture to remind Natalie that Sarah was still there, but she waved him off.

"We will find a way," he assured her.

"They are family, Da," Natalie replied solidly.

"And you make sacrifices for family," O'Dragmire finished. "I know this is difficult for you, and I am proud of you." They smiled at each other warmly before O'Dragmire turned his attention to Sarah, who was attempting to pretend she hadn't overheard the conversation. "I suppose Natalie will be telling me you are her cousin, next. I've never seen her warm up to a Hylian so quickly." O'Dragmire looked at her appraisingly. Sarah felt as if he were probing, searching for something. Sarah, unsure of what he was looking for, smiled tentatively. The lights flickered back on and O'Dragmire returned the smile. "It appears you can light the darkness. I wasnae looking forward to trying to remodel in the dark." He picked Sarah up apologetically. "We are going to have to go to work now, so I shall return you to your post. I'll try to bring you something more interesting to read."

Sarah spent the rest of the afternoon reading classic literature on her couch, listening to the banging and scrapings that came with ripping up carpet and tearing down wallpaper. Furniture was shoved haphazardly into hallways, creating an eerie, almost abandoned atmosphere. Sarah rarely saw anyone until late afternoon. O'Dragmire stopped by to see how his charge was faring.

"You are nae getting too bored, are you?" he said, leaning his massive frame over the back of the couch.

"I am, but I don't think there is anything I can do about it," Sarah replied, shutting her book.

"I'll take you to Hylia or Acrimon as soon as this rain stops," O'Dragmire replied. "Believe me; I'm nae keeping you here for my enjoyment."

"I didn't realize I was such a bad guest," she replied with a wry smile, her eyebrows arching. O'Dragmire shook his head.

"Actually, it has been interesting getting to know you," he smiled. "I never would have thought you had a personality under all your professional snobbery."

"Likewise," Sarah returned. "I never would have thought there was a warm and vibrant culture out here in the hotel with the menacing boss."

"Menacing, am I?" O'Dragmire chuckled.

"You do tower over everybody and weren't exactly too friendly the first several times I met you," Sarah replied.

"I do take my land very seriously," he replied solemnly. "Just remember I bear you no ill will when we have to battle in court."

"Ditto," Sarah agreed, reaching out to shake hands with the large gentleman. The lights flickered off again.

"I keep losing my power and it is starting to irritate me," O'Dragmire grumbled as she stormed off.

* * *

><p>The rain seemed like it would never let up. Instead of slacking off, the storm raged harder than ever. The nighttime silence was punctuated by sharp thunder. The hotel staff had been exhausted by a day of hard labor and slept soundly through the cacophony. Sarah, however, had been sedentary due to her injury and tossed uneasily. Her dreams were once again haunted with floods, darkness, war, and unnamed monsters. A particularly loud thunder clap jerked her awake.<p>

"Are you okay?" a deep voice asked as she bolted upright. O'Dragmire was standing by the wide front window, gazing out forlornly at the downpour. Sarah was surprised to see him, but at the same time he was not unexpected.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah questioned, vainly trying to smooth back her sleep rumpled hair.

"You were whimpering in your sleep," O'Dragmire replied. "I thought maybe your leg was hurting again."

"No, it is fine," Sarah informed him. "Why were you out here in the first place?"

"I couldnae sleep," O'Dragmire confessed. "I usually walk around the gardens, but I am starting to wonder if they will even be there. The power is still out so I cannae read."

"Sit," Sarah offered. "I'm not going back to sleep anytime soon." O'Dragmire removed himself from the window and sat lazily on a chair opposite Sarah.

"Do you often talk in your sleep?" He asked conversationally. There was not a hint of judgment in his voice. The early morning hours had cast their spell. They were both too tired to think anything was strange. The rain made them both melancholy and they craved companionship.

"Only when I'm having nightmares," Sarah replied, still shaking off the remains of her most recent dreams. "I used to have them all the time when I was little."

"What do you dream about?" O'Dragmire probed, fiddling with his thumbs.

"Oceans, battles, monsters, the usual nightmare stuff," Sarah mused. "I'm in all of them, so it is weird."

"It is nae so unusual to be in your own dreams," O'Dragmire replied with interest.

"What is weird is I'm never called Sarah, I always hear my first name," Sarah replied.

"I wondered about that," O'Dragmire smiled softly. "Your signature had a "Z." Is it Zoë?" Sarah shook her head.

"Zelda," she answered in disgust. "It is supposed to be a family name but it sounds out-dated."

"Zelda," O'Dragmire said, rolling it around on his tongue as if he were testing the quality of the name. "I like it. It sounds regal."

"What about your name, Mr. O'Dragmire?" Sarah asked. "I've never actually heard what it is."

"It is a family name as well," he replied with a smirk. "Everyone calls me O'Dragmire. Even my grannies did from the time I was born. My mother called me Ganny, but my full name is Ganondorf."

"Ganondorf O'Dragmire," Sarah said through a yawn, losing the "O'" as she covered her mouth. "It is quite a mouthful. It sounds almost sinister." O'Dragmire chuckled.

"That is probably why I always have been called O'Dragmire," he teased. Sarah smiled sleepily and pushed herself up on the couch. "Let me see your hand." Sarah looked down at her bare arm and handed over her right hand. The wrist, free from its usual menagerie of bangles, bore a small tattoo.

"When did you get this?" he asked in an almost whisper.

"Spring break one year," Sarah confessed as he traced the simple design with his finger. "I was so drunk I don't even remember getting it. I must not have gotten a good artist because the bottom left is tinted funny. Thankfully I didn't get hepatitis or anything from it. I haven't done anything that stupid since then."

"Do you know what it is?" O'Dragmire probed, still tracing the design.

"I looked it up when I came home from the trip," Sarah replied trying to remember the exact word. "It is a triskele, no, trifor…"

"Triquetra," O'Dragmire answered for her.

"Yes, that was it," Sarah smiled. "I guess you recognized it because it is Celtic."

"More than that," O'Dragmire replied ironically and pushed up the long sleeve on his arm. "I have one too." Sarah's eyes widened as she took his wide right arm in her hands and looked at the tattoo. It was identical to her own except the bottom had clean lines. A scar ran through the top section.

"How odd we have the same tattoo in the same spot," Sarah mused.

"I expect I've had mine longer," said O'Dragmire. "I had mine done while at university as well."

"Natalie said you had a degree," Sarah remembered. "What did you study?"

"Literature," O'Dragmire replied with a tinge of regret. "I taught in Ireland before moving over here. They seem to think you cannae teach English when you sound like this."

"Why did you move over, then?" Sarah asked with sincere curiosity.

"The aunts told me you had been asking," O'Dragmire smiled forlornly. It was as if he were trying to decide how much to reveal, but everyone tells the truth at 3:00 in the morning. "It was to get my wife away from the Troubles."

"The troubles?" Sarah tried to clarify.

"The Troubles," O'Dragmire confirmed. "There was a huge division between the protestant unionists and Catholic nationalists. Her family was quite militant about it. I agreed with her family politically, but didnae realize how violent her family was becoming until they were too deeply involved. We packed up and moved here. Like I said earlier, I couldnae get a job teaching, so we opened a hotel. She had always wanted to run a bed and breakfast, so the hotel wasnae a hard stretch for her. She fell in love with this place as we were driving through and insisted we build here. We used to joke and say this was our first baby. It is a shame she never had the chance to see either grow."

"I'm sorry," Sarah sympathized. They sat in a still silence for a moment. "Is that why the aunts are here, too?"

"Aye," O'Dragmire confessed. "They actually got caught and were going to be charged with conspiracy. I probably shouldnae be telling you this, because you work in the government. The whole family snuck out of Ireland and contacted me. I brought them here and we've managed to carve a little niche out for ourselves. It was hard on Natalie. I had saved up enough money to send her to a fancy private school but spent it all bringing the aunts over. I know she tries to hide her love of learning, but she wouldnae be valedictorian if the fire wasnae still inside her." Long minuets passed with nothing but the rain to break the silence. Sarah almost drifted off to sleep again but forced herself awake.

"The triquetra, what does it symbolize?" She asked, looking at the mark she had been absently tracing.

"According to the Church," O'Dragmire began, "the holy trinity. I like it because a cruder version was inscribed in an old book my mother used to read to me when I was a child. I supposed she didnae read it because it was in a foreign language, but I would look at the pictures and she would tell me the stories. She said it was a fairytale but the grannies said it was a history book."

"What was it about?" Sarah probed; interested in learning about the mark she didn't remember getting.

"It was the usual fairytale type story line," O'Dragmire recalled. "There was always a princess captured by an evil king and the hero who came to rescue her. Mom had a terrible memory so the story was different each time, but that made it more enjoyable. Most of the time it was a generic hero goes on a quest and rescues the princess. Sometimes there was a great flood and the princess hid among pirates. Other times the king was a demon who enslaved the princess's people and controlled darkness itself. I loved that book. I used to wish I could have an adventure like in the stories."

"You don't seem like the kind of man who would want to battle his way to save a princess," Sarah teased sleepily, smiling at the captivating tale.

"I rescued you," O'Dragmire teased back.

Sarah motioned to her injured leg, "This hardly feels like rescuing. However, I hope you get your adventure sometime, Mr. Hero."

"That is another thing," O'Dragmire frowned. "I didnae want to be the hero. The hero was always alone. I actually like being around people, believe it or no. I wanted to be the king, but would be good to the princess and be friends with the hero. Maybe then I wouldnae get killed."

"The king dies, then?" Sarah asked, mirroring the frown.

"Every time."


	5. Chapter 4

Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo.

* * *

><p>Breakfast the next morning was still joyful but subdued. The staff had another long day of repairs even though the electricity had not come back on yet. Sarah sat with her leg propped up at a corner while sitting near Natalie and her father. The latter was bleary eyed from his current bout of insomnia. Natalie's sharp gaze was shifting from her father to Sarah. They were carrying on an easy conversation, which Natalie might not have thought possible a few days prior.<p>

"Did you have trouble sleeping last night, Da?" She asked during a lull in the conversation.

"I did, why?" he answered, diverting his attention from the Hylian.

"You left the suite late last night," Natalie pointed out.

"I've had a lot on my mind," he replied, taking a sip of strong coffee.

"You never came back," she added, shooting him a suspicious look.

"Are you keeping watch on me now?" he asked, sensing her mood.

"I'm a light sleeper, Da. I notice these things," she answered lightly. There was a slight pause before she added, "The gardens are flooded; where did you go?"

"I went to the lobby," he replied levelly. "There is a good view of the storm from the front windows."

"Sarah sleeps in the lobby," Natalie added suspiciously.

"Aye," was all O'Dragmire replied. He stared back at his daughter, trying to figure out what she was going on in her incomprehensible mind. Natalie suppressed a smirk and switched to Gaelic.

"_Do you have to go to confession now?"_ she asked with a sardonic smile.

"_What?"_ O'Dragmire shouted in surprise. The entire table went silent and stared at their boss, eagerly listening in on the conversation.

_"I see the way you have been looking at her," _Natalie goaded, eliciting giggles from the table to show that they had all noticed the same thing.

_ "Just how have I been looking at her?" _O'Dragmire demanded.

_ "You like her," _Natalie pointed out.

"_She is a sweet girl,_" he replied vaguely, wishing he could escape from the stares down the table.

"What is she saying?" Sarah whispered to Anna, who was seated next to her. Anna giggled in reply.

"_You still havenae answered my question," _Natalie probed, despite the fury gathering on her father's face.

"_I'll willnae have this conversation with my own daughter,_" he replied curtly.

"_You are supposed to be my moral compass,_" she chided maliciously. "_I really need to know where you stand._"

"_God help you if I am your moral compass,"_ he sighed and refused to say any more. The table went slowly back to eating and a light buzz of conversation refilled the room. Natalie began chatting with Sarah about her university while shooting her father probing glances.

"Is there anything else you need, Sarah?" O'Dragmire asked. Natalie studied his face carefully.

"_Da, you know she is closer to my age,_" she threw in teasingly. O'Dragmire threw his hands up and stormed off.

"Where are you going?" Sarah called in alarm at his sudden change in mood.

"There is too much estrogen in here," he grumbled as he disappeared.

"What was going on?" Sarah asked Natalie pointedly. Natalie smirked in reply. Anna had some compassion for Sarah and leaned over to her.

"O'Dragmire has been around too many women for too long," Anna whispered vaguely. "He is remembering what it is like to feel like a man."

"I don't understand," Sarah admitted, looking over at Natalie. She had fallen silent and moody.

"The boss spends almost all his time at the hotel," she explained quietly. "We are all family. He cannae look at any of us without thinking of Aislin. Then you come along with your blond hair and thoroughly Hylian attitude and remind him what men usually feel around women."

"You mean Natalie thinks we…" Sarah gasped in sudden realization, blushing furiously.

"Honey," Mona interrupted, leaning over Anna, "we all think it. Natalie is just the only one who can get away with saying anything. We are nae judging, either. Some of us have boyfriends. We just have enough sense nae to bring them to the hotel, at least nae when O'Dragmire would find out."

"It is nice to know O'Dragmire is human, after all," Anna added. "Speaking of whom, I better go find him before he sulks too much. If you thought women were moody you havenae seen him get upset."

Anna left Sarah at the table to blush brightly while she sought out her boss. She found him sitting in the darkened pool room. She would have missed him if a flash of lightning hadn't outlined his silhouette. He was sulking on the edge of the pool with his pant legs rolled up to dangle his feet in the water. "You are going to be okay, O'Dragmire," Anna said as a statement, not a question. He merely huffed and remained silent. Anna sat down next to the larger man and noisily plopped her bare legs into the pool. "Natalie worries about you, you know."

"Is she worried I am trying to replace her?" he finally grumbled, his gaze still directed at the ripples in the water.

"Nae at all, She is worried that there will be no one to take care of you when she leaves for college next year," Anna explained.

"I will be fine," O'Dragmire replied sullenly. "I will miss her but I will get along without her."

"I know that," said Anna. "You know that. Natalie is only seventeen. Her mind does nae understand that life manages to go on despite the changes."

"That is nae true," he answered. "She lost her mother."

"Yet she has always had her da, and this hotel," Anna countered. "Those have been her two constants. When she goes to college everything will change for her. She willnae be the assistant manager of her father's hotel anymore, so she does nae comprehend that life will continue the same here. In a way, she is trying to see that you will be taken care of when she is gone."

"I am her father, I am supposed to be taking care of her," he said ironically.

"We are family," Anna reminded him. "We take care of each other. That seems to include a certain Hylian now."

"I still love Aislin," he whispered at last.

"And you always will," Anna confirmed. "Aislin has been gone a long time now. Just because new feelings are being kindled does nae diminish the fire you felt for my cousin."

"I do nae understand why I feel anything at all," O'Dragmire confessed. "She is young, vivacious, spirited if nae stubborn…"

"Which is exactly why you like her," she added with satisfaction.

"I do nae feel about her the way I felt about my wife, though," he protested. "I think she is a pleasant girl, but she seems distant somehow. I feel respectful and somewhat protective, even possessive. I do nae understand why, but she seems familiar."

"We all feel that about her," Anna offered. "Even though she is pale and distinctly Hylian, she could be a Gerudo. Be it by God or fate, that girl's destiny is intertwined with ours. You are the only one able to make her proper family."

"No, Anna," O'Dragmire replied firmly. "I married my princess a long time ago. Some family you are born to, some you marry, and some you choose. If you want a new cousin by all means call her such, but it will nae be through my doing." Anna glared at him with piercing curiosity.

"What are your plans for her then?" she directed to the larger man. "You cannae get her to Hylia, true. The roads west of her are nae so bad. You could get her to Acrimon."

"I will keep her here for the time being," O'Dragmire answered bleakly. "She knows why you are here." Panic spread across Anna's eyes but she carefully guarded her expression. "I do nae know why I told her, but she knows. I want to keep her here until I know what she will do with the information. I will nae let anything happen to you."

"Are you so worried about us, or is it yourself you are concerned with?" Anna replied cryptically. O'Dragmire grunted a response but did not answer. They sat beside each other in pleasant silence until Anna's mischievous nature got the better of her. "You never did answer," she asked casually. "Do you, or do you nae need to go to confession?"

"We are nae going to bring that up again," he growled, and shoved Anna, laughing, into the pool.

* * *

><p>Another morning passed with Sarah alone on her couch. The flashlight dimmed from its constant use as Sarah read to pass the hours. The rain still pounded the hotel without mercy. Thunder rolled in the background seemed to shake the very doors. Sarah realized with surprise they were creaking open. She clicked off the flashlight and pushed herself up to get a better view of the doors. No one from the hotel had been outside, and Sarah knew it would only take one scream to bring the owner running if the intruder was unwanted. She let out a startled gasp when a figure tentatively crept into the door and shut it again. "Fitzdeku!" she called in a loud whisper and motioned him over, then realized he probably couldn't see in the dim lobby. Sarah turned her flashlight back on to give him a point of reference.<p>

"Miss Hyrule, Sarah," he breathed with immense relief. He was sopping wet, wearing kaki cargo pants and a muddy green t-shirt. His head was mostly dry, thanks to a handmade wool knit cap that would have looked ridiculous on any other person.

"What are you doing here?" Sarah asked in a low voice, immensely glad to see a familiar face. "Has the bridge been repaired?"

"No," he replied, looking almost embarrassed. "There is a panic all through Hylia. They found your car by the falls, but not you. Your father thought you were dead and was going to have the river combed, even in the storm, but someone reported you were kidnapped by Mr. O'Dragmire. I didn't get a malicious vibe from him the time I brought you out here, but your father is organizing a raid. I thought I'd come out here and see what was really going on and if you were okay.

"I'm fine," Sarah assured him, noting there wasn't the slightest hint of a stutter in the usually bashful boy. "Not entirely, I broke my leg. In the car wreck, the hotel staff has been nothing but kind to me."

"I'm glad to hear it," Link answered sincerely. "Everyone is worried about you. I should probably get back and let them know you are okay."

"Have you finally gone mad and are talking to yourself, Sarah?" a teasing voice called curiously as someone entered the lobby. Sarah quickly looked back to Link, but he had ducked behind a chair.

Sarah waited for the speaker to get closer before calling out, "It's okay, Link. It's just Natalie." Link grinned sheepishly from behind the chair he had ducked behind.

"Link? What are you doing here?" Natalie asked incredulously, dashing to the cluster of chairs to see if he were really there. He was, and she was glad.

"I came to see if Sarah was alright," he replied with a smile. "Everyone in Hylia is worried about her."

"That was nice of you," Natalie replied happily.

"How did you even get out here if the bridge is still out?" Sarah questioned.

"Sara, from Parks and Recreation, showed me a path through Kokiri Park that winds up here," Link explained.

"That is the path I take to school," Natalie offered excitedly. "Part of it still goes over the river. Is it nae flooded there?"

"Yea, it is," Link replied a bit timidly. "I managed to swim across."

"Link," said Natalie, a bit disbelievingly. "It is nae exactly a trickle there."

"I am scuba certified," he replied, a smile creeping to his face. "I actually brought my tanks and iron weights and pulled myself along the foot bridge on the path."

"My bridge is still there?" Natalie asked with excitement. "I built that, with a little help from Da."

"I'm impressed," Link admitted. "It is a brilliant design and wonderful construction." Natalie was beaming.

"I'm amazed you managed to get here relatively clean and dry after fording the river," Sarah smiled. She was used to Link being timid and shy. She felt like this was a pleasant change.

"I wore my dive suit in the river and brought clean clothes in a waterproof bag," he explained eliciting curious looks from his audience. "What? I was in scouts."

"I can't believe you went through all that." Sarah said while shaking her head. "I am very glad to see you though."

"I really need to get back," Link whispered conspiratorially. "Like I said you father is about to launch a full raid and hopefully I can stop it if he knows you are alright."

"Alright, bye Link," Sarah said grasping his hand firmly. "I didn't realize you had a tattoo."

"I used to attend Renaissance festivals," Link explained, looking at the small mark on his wrist. "I like Celtic culture, so I had this done. I had an allergic reaction to the ink, though. In the light you can see the skin on one corner is discolored." He turned to Natalie. "Could you point me back to the path so I don't lose time running around the gardens in the storm?" She gave a mischievous smirk.

"I can do better than that," she replied proudly. "I'll take you back to the bridge."

"It is rather muddy," Link reminded her, seemingly amused.

"I'm not sure that is a good idea," Sarah observed. "The storm is still bad and I'm not sure your father would want you out in the rain."

"I'll be fine," Natalie countered. "I'm old enough to make my own decisions."

"Natalie, I don't think…"

"Wait here and I'll put my shoes on," Natalie ordered as she bounded for the stairs.

"Don't let her follow you out there," Sarah pleaded.

"I won't," Link promised. "I'll send her back as soon as I get to the path." They sat awkwardly in silence for a brief moment.

"Nice hat," Sarah offered, trying to break the oppressive silence. She had been sitting in the quiet darkness too long and didn't realize how overjoyed she would be to see someone familiar.

"Thanks," Link grinned as he adjusted the cap. "Sara, from Parks and Recreation, made it for me.

"You two are very close," Sarah observed.

"We were neighbors while I was growing up," Link explained. "Mom worked two jobs and Dad was a drunk, so she practically raised me."

"I hadn't realized she was that old," confessed Sarah.

"She is a lot older than she looks," he remarked.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters," she probed, suddenly interested in Link's past.

"I didn't think I ever would," he grinned back, "but Mom had another kid later on."

"That must be nice," Sarah remarked, envious of his family. Link silenced her as he sensed someone passing through the dim hallway.

"You would think so," Link whispered wryly. "I always wanted a sibling growing up because I felt alone most of the time, but she is the most annoying and bossy little thing. In her defense, she is only seven and practically an only child herself."

"Seven?" she asked incredulously, trying to calculate how large the age gap must be. Link flashed her a knowing smile.

"Ready?" Natalie called as she bounced into the lobby wearing chunky boots and a jacket.

"Lead the way," Link replied, and gave a farewell greeting to Sarah. The rain fell lighter than it had been but visibility was still poor. Natalie expertly navigated through the intricate gardens she had been raised in.

"Thanks," Link said as he stopped where the path turned from neat gravel to dirt. "I can manage from here."

"I do nae mind going the whole way," Natalie protested.

"I promised Sarah I'd send you back," Link replied firmly but kindly. "It is a straight shot from here but it isn't all that safe."

"You did it," she argued stubbornly.

"Yes, but I am an adult risking only his own neck," he countered. "You have a lot of people concerned about you."

"I'll be fine," Natalie insisted, teenage whininess creeping into her voice.

"I'm sure you would be," Link replied diplomatically. "I would rather not risk it though." Natalie stood pouting as he left her in the rain to head down the familiar trail. She was about to sulk back to the hotel when an impulse sent her running over the uncultivated terrain.

* * *

><p>Link slid down a muddy embankment, jumping to avoid the mud puddle at the bottom. He didn't mind that his clothes were stained and his feet were being rubbed raw from hiking in wet shoes. Sarah was alright, and that was what mattered. Now that the immediate task at hand was done he realized how incredibly risky the trip out here had been.<p>

"Keeyat!" he shouted as a red blur descended upon him as he rounded a craggy path. The blur laughed as she stood up from where she had landed, mud splattered over her clothing. "I thought you were going back to the hotel," Link admonished as he recovered from being startled.

"I wanted to see the river," Natalie shrugged, looking expectantly at Link.

"It isn't safe," he insisted, but it was obvious Natalie would not be swayed. He marched on a bit more cautiously, but it became apparent that Natalie was perhaps even more capable of him at navigating the terrain. She knew the land's quirks which actually sped the trip a great deal. Natalie chatted mindlessly the entire time, only giving Link a few opportunities to speak.

"You really should head back now," said Link as the river pulled into view. Natalie stared at the angry river in alarm.

"You got across _that?" _she asked, pointing and the flooded bed. Link nodded.

"You aren't going to try and follow me, are you?" he asked suspiciously. Natalie shook her head, still staring in awe.

"How did you get across?" she whispered. Link grinned and dug a pack out from the scrubby plants that grew in this part of the country. He pulled out a wetsuit and small tank. "Zora Armor, impressive."

"Do you dive?" Link asked hopefully as she recognized the brand of his gear. She shook her head again.

"I cannae even swim," she confessed. "You do nae have to worry about me following you anymore." Link gave her a smile.

"Are you going to be alright getting back on your own?" he asked.

"I'll be fine," she assured him.

"The path won't be getting any better, I'll take you back if you would like," Link offered.

"I'll be fine, you should go. The day seems to last forever, but once night comes it falls fast," Natalie smiled back. Link had reservations about leaving her alone here, but he had no idea what time it was and had to go back. He hoped Natalie was as capable as she appeared

"I'll come back as soon as I can to check up on you and let you know what is going on," Link said as he strapped the small tank onto his back and headed for the river.

"Okay," Natalie replied. "When did you change? I didnae see you."

"That is kind of the point," Link replied, giving her an odd look. "Don't expect me back too soon," he added before fitting the mouthpiece and pulling on his goggles.

"Enjoy the rest of the gauntlet!" Natalie called as she waved. Link waved back and dove under the surface. Natalie sat down and stared over the river, trying to see any sign of Link, but the churning water made it impossible to tell where he was. Eventually Natalie gave up and decided to head back to the hotel. She stood up and attempted to brush some of the mud off her pants to no avail. Natalie turned around and ran into the massive wall that was her irate father.

* * *

><p>"I'm old enough to make my own decisions!" was heard through the door before it was even opened. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief knowing Natalie was alright.<p>

"While you are living in my house you will live by my rules," O'Dragmire shouted back, throwing open the front doors and dragging Natalie inside by the hood of her jacket. It was apparent they had been shouting the entire way back to the hotel.

"We do nae live in a house," Natalie spat acidly. "This is a hotel. I've never had a normal home."

"You have a father and you will obey him," O'Dragmire growled, obviously stung.

"I havenae seen any rules about nae taking a walk in the rain posted anywhere," she sneered back, ripping off her soaked jacket and throwing it in a heap.

"What about always letting me know where you are?" he demanded, fury still showing on his face.

"I never go anywhere," she whined. "You never had a problem with me going on walks before."

"It usually isn't a deluge outside!" her father spat back. "I do nae have rules just to make you miserable. I have them for your safety. Running about in the rain, by a swollen river, when you cannae swim at all is nae a good idea."

"You cannae keep me here forever!" Natalie screamed.

"No," her father agreed calmly, with more composure than the previous conversation would have suggested he could muster. "I cannae, but until this whole mess clears up you will remain in the hotel. Do you understand?"

"You cannae force me to stay in here!" she shouted back with irrational stubbornness that teens manage. O'Dragmire glared at her with all the impatience, exhaustion and frustration of the day visible on his face. He silently marched over to his daughter and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her through the lobby. He lifted her over the counter and pushed her into his small office.

"You will stay in there until we have both had a chance to cool down," O'Dragmire growled through the door. Banging and screaming was heard in reply. He threw his hands up in defeat and headed out.

"This probably is nae the best course of action, O'Dragmire," Mona warned, creeping around the corner she had been eaves dropping behind.

"You let her out and you will be sorry," he threatened. "I cannae deal with her right now but it is nae like I'm going to keep her locked up for seven years."

"If you need some help…" she offered.

"Just leave me alone," O'Dragmire snapped and he stormed up the stairs.

Sarah sat dumbfounded at the sudden turn of events. The hotel had fallen silent except for the incessant banging on the walls of the office.

"This is not good," Sarah whispered to Mona as she passed by. Mona stopped and looked at the girl.

"No," she admitted softly. "Things never turn out very good when he gets like this."

"You have seen this happen before?" Sarah asked, shocked. He had seemed so nice, even if he became frustrated easily.

"Aye, but it was a long time ago," Mona explained helplessly. "I probably should nae be talking about it. It takes a lot to push him over the edge but when he goes it is best to just let him be."

"You aren't going to leave Natalie trapped in there, are you?" Sarah asked. Mona shrugged.

"He's the boss," she sighed and left Sarah alone in the darkness.

* * *

><p>Natalie was released from the office sometime later. O'Dragmire was still brooding, but he allowed her out to eat before hauling her up to her room where she was to remain the rest of the evening. Neither were screaming anymore but neither were talking much either. The atmosphere had become as dark as the storm outside.<p>

"Can't sleep again?" Sarah asked as she heard the stairs creek. Total darkness had descended and the hotel had become still, but Sarah had been unable to fall asleep. Inactivity and boredom had made her restless, and she didn't want to dream again. Her query paused on the stairs before entering the lobby.

"I didnae mean to wake you," the deep sullen voice replied.

"I wasn't sleeping yet," Sarah assured him. "Are you going to be okay?" O'Dragmire remained in a brooding silence.

"Everything is falling apart," he lamented at last. "The hotel still has no power, the repairs are getting behind schedule, I am still worried about the land acquisition, and now Natalie is acting up. I feel powerless, and I do nae like it."

"Did Natalie tell you why she went out in the rain?" Sarah asked tentatively.

"No," O'Dragmire replied curtly. "I do nae know what possessed her to go out in storm like that. She is nae to fond of water. She started hollering about her age the moment I found her and told her to come back."

"She went because someone from Hylia came here," Sarah explained, not knowing what to say for fear of angering her host further.

"Oh? Is the bridge repaired?" he asked nervously.

"Not yet," she replied. "He found an alternate route, asked Natalie for directions how to get back and she followed him out."

"You Hylians cause me so many problems," O'Dragmire accused. "Why did someone come out?"

"Apparently they found my car," Sarah explained timidly. "They assumed I was dead but someone reported seeing you dragging me off." O'Dragmire let out an oath in reply. "Link said they are planning a raid to get me back." Another longer and louder oath was released.

"I try to help you and I get an invasion," he groaned.

"Link went back to try to sort things out," Sarah tried to assure him but he was still agitated.

"I do nae foresee a way this can end well," O'Dragmire replied, the same troubling intensity that had bothered Sarah before was creeping back into his eyes.

"Neither do I," Sarah admitted, losing her nerve under his piercing gaze. "I didn't mean to cause you all this trouble."

"The first time you came here it was with the intention to cause me trouble," O'Dragmire replied ironically.

"I'll help you in anyway I can," Sarah offered, trying to diffuse the rising tension.

"I think you have done enough already," was the biting reply as the hotel owner stormed away. Whatever truce they had come to in the past few days was broken.

O'Dragmire stormed up the stairs and pounded on a door on the top floor. Anna answered immediately, looking expectantly up at her boss.

"The Hylians are coming," he said desperately. Anna left the room and shut the door to let her roommate sleep.

"Of course they are," she chided. "Sarah is here and you never let them know you had her and she was safe."

"Our phones went out with the power, how was I supposed to call them?" O'Dragmire spat back in a loud whisper.

"We are the only ones without power," Anna reminded him.

"We need to get her to Acrimon," he replied decisively.

"It is too late for that," Anna replied firmly. "If you take her there you will have to explain why you didnae get her there sooner. She will have to be seen at a hospital and there will possibly be a police report made out. The Hylians will be here before you could get her to a phone. I do nae think they will take to kindly to paying us a visit just to have Sarah missing again." O'Dragmire wiped his face with his hand.

"Can we just leave her outside where they will find her?" he asked in frustration.

"Aye, if you want it to look like we are hiding something," Anna replied. "There is nae a way out of this now."

"So we let them invade?" O'Dragmire asked angrily pacing the hallway. Anna stared at him coldly.

"They intend to invade, then?" she asked sadly. Her boss nodded his head in ascent.

"They will invade," he stated firmly. "We have done nothing to provoke them so we would be within our right to defend ourselves."

"We all stand to lose much when things go wrong," Anna told him. "You especially."

"What would you have me do, Anna?" O'Dragmire demanded. "I will nae see my home attacked for trying to help someone."

"We have run before," Anna replied, waving her arms to indicate the staff sleeping on the floor. "We could do it again."

"This is my home," he growled in reply. "I will nae leave it for a misunderstanding." Anna nodded her head.

"We will be ready then," she replied resolutely.

"You already know how this will turn out," O'Dragmire accused.

"There is nae a way this can bode well. I know my history, O'Dragmire," she replied sadly before closing herself in her room.


	6. Chapter 5

Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo.

* * *

><p>Her mind swirled with images of war. Creatures like boulders collided with graceful, dolphin-like beings. Red-haired warriors clashed with red-eyed soldiers. A land was in turmoil, and she watched helplessly as years of war degraded the proud land to poverty and ruin. Times were bleak, and the weight of breaking countless centuries of cyclic warfare rested on her shoulders. The impossible task of ending the traumatic repetition seemed too much for Zelda. <em>Zelda, no one calls me by that name. I am dreaming again.<em>

Sarah awoke with a start and jerked into a sitting position, setting off fresh stabs of pain down her leg. A pair of eyes shone through the dim light, staring eagerly at Sarah.

"Dreaming?" Anna asked, with her head cocked to one side. Sarah nodded her reply. "The Hylians are gathering on the opposite side of the river," Anna whispered. "I have nae let anyone else know. Breakfast will be the last meal you will share with our family."

"Has the storm finally let up?" Sarah asked. A clap of thunder replied.

"The rain has almost let up, but the storm is far from over," she added, scrutinizing the Hylian.

"How can you tell?"

"I can see far, even in a storm." Anna shrugged, looking forlornly at Sarah. "Think kindly of us when you return to Hylia."

"Of course," Sarah replied in confusion. "Why would I think otherwise?"

"O'Dragmire tends to overreact," Anna sighed. "You will see what I mean. I'm going back up to the tower." Sarah nodded and watched her ascend the stairs, thinking how odd she acted at times. She kept herself awake in the darkness to keep herself from dreaming again. Eventually the darkness was replaced by a slightly less consuming version that signified twilight was blooming.

As the Gerudo wandered down to the dining room, Sarah could tell no one had slept well. O'Dragmire's face showed evidence of sleepless nights and agitation. He barely grunted a greeting as he helped Sarah into her seat.

"It's just like old times," Sarah commented to the brooding O'Dragmire.

"What did you say?" he asked offhandedly as he fiddled with a matchbox. The batteries had worn out quickly and they had resorted to an odd assortment of candelabra to luminate the meal.

"The lighting," Sarah clarified, motioning to the makeshift candelabras placed on the long table. "It reminds me of bygone eras."

"I hope if we were in your 'bygone era' I wouldnae be trying to take care of my home with the Hylians after my neck," O'Dragmire sighed bitterly, letting Sarah know he was still not in a friendly mood.

Breakfast passed largely in glum silence. O'Dragmire stewed in his dark mood and Natalie was absorbed in her own dramatics. Conversations down the table were quite subdued from their usual boisterousness. It was as if all could sense the tension was mounting but were still unable to describe what they were feeling. The entire room hushed the moment Anna entered the room and stared expectantly.

"The Hylians have crossed the river," she stated clearly. The tension in the room seemed to explode tenfold. "They will be here soon." The entire table held their breath and looked to their boss.

"I guess this really is happening, then." O'Dragmire replied in a strangely calm voice. "Well, ladies, lets get ready. The uncertain tension morphed into grim determination. A past they had tried to run from had caught up with them, and they weren't going to give into anyone without a fight. Several took last bites of food or sips of coffee and tea before filing out of the room.

"What do you mean get ready?" Natalie asked, feeling like she was missing an integral part of the events. Her dour face quickly became alive with curiosity.

"Nothing, for you," her father replied. "I do nae want you having part of this."

"Part of what?" Sarah demanded, trying to piece together the actions of the staff.

"The Hylians are invading," O'Dragmire replied sternly. "We will defend ourselves." Sarah gasped in realization while Natalie still looked confused.

"No," Sarah countered. "Just leave me out in the lobby where they will find me first and I can explain what happened."

"No," O'Dragmire growled. "I will nae take this insult in my own home. If they want a fight, a fight they shall get."

"You don't have to do this," Sarah argued. "It would be wiser to let me take care of things."

"I do nae think you understand me," he snarled in reply. "This started because _you_ came here trying to convince me Hylia had my best interest in mind. Now I am getting an invasion. I do nae take too well to my home being attacked because I attempt to help an adversary out. I have every right to defend my home. I cannae just have you sitting out in the open though. Natalie, come with me."

"Where are we going, Da?" she asked, still unable to comprehend what was going on. Although she knew some of her aunts' past, she had lived in a world where violence was absent and the threat of such was largely empty. O'Dragmire roughly picked Sarah up and led the crowd up to the top floor. He shouldered the door to his suite open and deposited Sarah on a couch before crossing to the TV armoire. "What is going on?" Natalie demanded again, hanging by her father's elbow. O'Dragmire ignored her and shoved the furniture aside and pulled a panel off the wall. The hidden cabinet revealed an armory of assault rifles and pistols.

"Natalie, I want you to stay up here with Sarah," O'Dragmire finally directed to his daughter as he began systematically handing out weapons.

"Da! What is this?" Natalie shrieked. She had spent her life in this suite but was completely unaware of the existence of the small arsenal hidden in her living room.

"The Hylian police force is invading and we are going to defend ourselves," he shrugged as he doled out the rifles and claimed one for his own use.

"I know the aunts were involved in the IRA back in Ireland, but I didnae know they brought their guns over. When did you get involved with all this?" Natalie cried. She was on the edge of hysteria as her naiveté was quickly shattered. O'Dragmire sighed and set his rifle down. The sound of guns being checked and loaded banished the silence.

"How do you think they got involved in the first place?" he explained gently. "I went to university in Belfast and brought the ideals home on holiday. It wasnae until after I graduated and moved home to marry your mother I knew they had gotten themselves involved, too. At the time I didnae discourage it. It wasn't until your mother had a close run-in that I realized how dangerous the life we had made for ourselves there truly was. I hoped by us leaving the aunts would lose interest, but they are persistent. Your aunts might have gotten caught plotting, but in sooth your da was more active and violent then they ever were." Natalie shook her head, as if it would erase the revelation.

"No, Da," she sobbed, clearly crushed by the new information. O'Dragmire gazed uncomfortably at his daughter. He had tried so hard to maintain a clean record in her eyes. He knew he had committed a heinous sin in her eyes and did not know how to handle his fall from grace.

"I am sorry," O'Dragmire consoled. "I should have been more honest with you. There is nae a thing I can do about it now. Stay here. I will protect you." He placed a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder before returning to his preparations.

"This is insane, Ganondorf O'Dragmire," Sarah interjected with regal authority She tried to rise but winced as her leg refused to allow weight. "Don't do this." He gave her a curious look.

"You will be safe here," he said simply as he left the room and locked the door. "No one gets to this room," he commanded to the now armed staff. With trained precision they stationed themselves around the empty hotel. Furniture stored in the hallways while rooms were being renovated became barricades and obsticals. The darkness and heavy anticipation made the hotel seem unearthly and sinister.

* * *

><p>O'Dragmire took a position so as to be the first line of defense against an assault. He disregarded the standard rules of engagement police used when dealing with a hostage situation and prepared for an all-out war. Mona sidled up beside him as he prepared to defend his position.<p>

"Anna said this is nae going to end well for us," she said clearly, hand placed on her hips. She slung her rifle carelessly over her shoulder.

"Go to your post," O'Dragmire grumbled in return.

"You know I will. I just wanted you to know I do nae blame you for the outcome."

"Has Anna told you the outcome?"

"Aye, well, partially."

"What is it?"

"She told me specifically nae to tell you."

"That sounds like Anna."

"Listen, O'Dragmire, we have all made bad choices. Not one of us here could cast the first stone. We made the choices we did in Ireland, of our own free will. We made the choice to flee and not accept responsibility. Now we are choosing to follow you, of our own violation."

"I appreciate it, but you are making it sound as if we are all going to die."

"No, we are nae going to die. We are willing to take our own consequences now; I wanted you to know that."

O'Dragmire nodded in acknowledgement, though he still didn't quite grasp the point she was trying to make. "Be prepared to shoot the moment they enter by force."

"Aye, Dark Lord," she replied, using the teasing nickname she hadn't said in years. He gave her a parting smile before setting his features and training his sights on the wide front doors.

* * *

><p>Natalie sat curled up on the floor of the suite, rocking herself as she tried to cope with her epiphany. She knew her father had a temper, but never guessed that he had a violent past. "Do you think Da has ever killed anyone?" She whispered to Sarah.<p>

"I can't say for sure," Sarah softly replied, feeling empathy for the teen. "Though from his words, I would probably say yes." Natalie nodded and hot tears began to flow silently.

"That is what I thought," she gulped, trying unsuccessfully to hold back her tears.

"Does it really matter?" Sarah asked pointedly.

"What do you mean?"

"Does his past directly affect you?"

"It does in the sense that I'm now locked in a room with a hotel full of armed women," Natalie responded stubbornly. She avoided Sarah's piecing gaze as she let herself become consumed by her misery. "No," she finally admitted after a questioning look from Sarah.

"He is your father," Sarah continued, "and you love him. I know you find this shocking, but he did try to get away from his past. He would try to protect you even if he hadn't been involved."

"I feel betrayed."

"I don't believe he kept the information from you just to spite you. In his own way, he was still trying to protect you."

"Everyone knew. _Everyone_. I was the only one who didnae know!" Natalie cried and burst into tears again. Sarah held the sobbing girl in her arms to provide comfort, but was herself full of dread. They sat in strained silence, listening to the sound of rain pounding the roof. It felt as if a dark wave washed over the hotel seconds before the first gunshot was heard. The two clung to each other tighter, wishing desperately they weren't so helpless to stop the insanity taking place below. Each gunshot made each of them flinch. Natalie prayed fervently that each bullet fired wasn't toward an aunt. It seemed like an eternity, but in reality was less than an hour, before the doorknob rattled. Gunfire was still audible and the two women held their breath as the door opened.

"Link," Sarah sighed in relief as she recognized the man who crept in the room.

"Are you two okay?" he whispered as he carefully entered the room, as if expecting a trap. Sarah nodded numbly. Natalie flung herself sobbing into his arms. Link gave Sarah a panicked look as he held the crying teen and patted her back timidly.

"How did you get in here with the fighting going on?" Sarah asked quietly. The relief she felt at seeing him also released her exhaustion. Link held up a set of keys.

"I snuck in through the side," he explained, trying maneuver out of Natalie's grasp. "There was a key box so I took a few, just in case. I went back to Hylia and reported you were okay, but no one believed me. I couldn't get the feeling that something was going to go horribly wrong out of my head, so I came back. I tried to get here before them but my city vehicle got stuck in Kokiri Park. I'm sorry."

"It isn't your fault," Sarah reminded him. "I did what I could from this end, but the Hylians and Gerudo seem determined to go at it. What are you planning on doing now?"

"Get you out of here. It isn't safe," Link replied firmly. He finally managed to pull Natalie off his waist and looked her in the eyes. "I'm not sure how Sarah got up here, but I need you to help me get her down. Can you manage that?" Natalie nodded, trying to force an awkward smile.

"How are we going to get down with all the gunfire?" Sarah demanded. "I can't imagine how you made your way up without getting shot."

"Just leave that part to me," he assured her. "We need to go down the employee stairs, out the side garden and get you to the captain so he can call off the raid. I can take care of anyone we come across. I just need you to trust me."

"You aren't even wearing your glasses," Sarah pointed out.

"I just have astigmatism. I don't really need them to see," Link shrugged.

"How are you going to take care of people?" Natalie demanded. "You don't have a gun do you?" Link shook his head and withdrew a stun gun.

"I'd prefer not to permanently harm anyone, but I took this from an obliging police cruiser."

"Link, what is that thing?" Sarah asked, pointing at something strapped to his hip.

"Family heirloom," Link said with a twinkle. "It is the best I could do on short notice." He held out the blade for the ladies inspection. It was ancient, with evidence of being broken and reforged. It had obviously been altered from its original grandeur, but it still bore a bird-like symbol that was part of the original seal. It was hard to guess what it had originally looked like. Now it was larger than a dagger, but smaller than a sword. Link obviously had great pride in the artifact.

"Let's go, then," Sarah sighed.

"Natalie, can you get on one side of Sarah while I take the other?" Link commanded gently. "Get on her bad side, in case I have to move away quickly."

"Da just carried her by himself," Natalie said, but moved to comply.

"I'm not as strong as your father," Link replied bluntly.

"I need to get something first," Natalie insisted and ran into her bedroom before anyone could object. Sarah rolled her eyes and lowered herself back onto the couch.

"Sarah?" Link asked with a mischievous smile.

"Yes?"

"I know this is a bad time, but this is first time I've had enough courage to ask you. Would you like to go out to dinner sometime?"

Sarah laughed at the irony of the situation. "You are right, this is a bad time." She smiled at him, seeing him fully for the first time. "Dinner would be great." Natalie reappeared, fastening a glittering crucifix around her neck.

"It was my mother's," she explained fondly. "Da gave it to her." Sarah smiled at the girl.

"Are you ready?" Sarah asked kindly. Natalie nodded without a trace of fear or apprehension. Link and Natalie managed to pull Sarah off the couch and help her hobble to the door.

It was a long and awkward journey to the end of the hall and down the first flight of stairs. Link dispatched himself at the bottom, returning only after he was sure the way was clear. It felt as if the hotel was going to come crashing down upon them at any moment. Sarah's awkward path considerably slowed the escape, having to stop and slowly maneuver around every obstacle. They had to detour due to fighting below. Natalie and Sarah stayed hidden behind a wardrobe as Link confronted someone.

"That is my aunt," Natalie hissed as they maneuvered around the fallen body.

"She won't be happy when she wakes up, but she is alright," Link assured her in a hushed whisper. Natalie rolled her eyes and lost the edge of her esteem for Link. They lost track of time as they made the slow but hurried journey down the hall. Sarah gimped awkwardly between the two. Link was self assured, but Natalie often became fearful and antsy. The adrenaline was pounding in Link's ears as he tried to make sure the path was safe for the two women he felt responsible for. They were nearly to the end of the hall when loud footfalls barged through the end of the hallway they had left earlier. The newcomer stopped short and swore when he saw the fallen red-head by his feet. It took him but a few seconds to notice the odd group at the other end of the hall.

"What are you doing here?" the menacing voice growled behind them. Link drew his blade instinctively and gently tried to shift Sarah to Natalie. Natalie looked behind her as she shifted to take Sarah's weight. "Natalie! What are you doing out of your room, and with Sarah? It is nae safe!" he father shouted. Natalie stumbled and Link was forced to grab Sarah tighter so she wouldn't fall. O'Dragmire noticed, but did not recognize, the young Hylian man who still had his back to him. He quickly assumed he was coercing the women to leave. "Leave them alone," he boomed, dropping his rifle in his agitation. The hair bristled on the back of his neck and a chill ran down the back of his spine. It was like he was remembering a nightmare from the past.

O'Dragmire let out a challenging scream and charged down the hall. Link replied with his own cry and attempted to shift his weight, causing Sarah to lose her precarious balance.

Link spun to keep his naked blade away from Sarah.

O'Dragmire swerved to catch Sarah.

Sarah hit the ground, twisting to avoid her already injured leg but managed to bump into Link, causing him to shuffle to maintain his own balance.

Everyone suddenly went still. Link stared at his hand, still grasping the hilt, his fingertips barely grazing the other man. O'Dragmire had a hand on Sarah's shoulder where he had attempted to catch her as she fell. Sarah's gaze was directed at O'Dragmire, but she had reached out to grab Link's arm, having foreseen this awful turn of events once she saw O'Dragmire charge down the hallway. O'Dragmire stood up, and the three looked at each other in deafening silence.

Time stopped. It was the past. It was the present. The future laid before them in glaring brilliance, looking much the same. The shock and horror the three felt spanned all eternity. They could not tell if this was but a moment, or if millennia passed in this terror. It was Natalie's horrified scream that brought them back to the present.

O'Dragmire gave a cough and grasped the handle of Link's weapon. He pulled it smoothly out of his side, where it had embedded itself in the confusion. He looked at the blade, trying to ascertain why it seemed significant. O'Dragmire dropped it, pressing his hand over his side where warm blood was flowing freely. He looked around in confusion, and collapsed.

Natalie screamed and flew to her father, rolling him so she could see his face. Link stood dumbly, staring at the injured man. Sarah pulled herself up on a door handle and opened the linen cupboard, tearing out clean sheets.

"Natalie!" she called, flinging the sheets at the girl once she had her attention. Natalie quickly began pressing the sheets to her father's side. He made no sound or movement of protest as his life essence seeped out. The sheets were already soaked with blood by the time Sarah dragged herself over with another armful of linens. The two women frantically went to work trying to stop the bleeding of the large man, ignoring the cacophony in the hotel around them.

"I need to go see what is happening," Link apologized, motioning to the nearing sounds. Sarah nodded and continued her attempts to save the man who had been her begrudging host. Natalie glared up at the Hylian, her eyes full of despair and rage.

Thus ended the first crush of Natalie O'Dragmire.

Natalie tried to help but her eyes became clouded with tears. Her arms were covered in vermillion liquid that soaked the linens in an impossible amount. She laid her head on her father's shoulder and began to sob again. She allowed the grief and disbelief consume her. Natalie could not fathom the extent of her father's injury. He was merely sleeping. He was tired. Tomorrow he would wake up and everything would be back to normal. This nightmare couldn't have happened. Her father was too strong of a man to die. Sleep. It _had _to be sleep. She did not move as Link returned and protectively crouched over them. She didn't flinch as Hylian officers burst into the hallway and surrounded the group. She finally snapped back to reality when a blood stained hand touched her shoulder and gently whispered, "It is okay, Natalie. It is over." Natalie picked her head up and looked around. The crowd had lowered their weapons and she could hear a radio conversation in the background.

"We have the princess. Repeat, we have the princess."

"Affirmative. Building secure. Cease fire. Repeat, cease all fire."

"Miss Hyrule, if you will move aside so we can arrest the hostile…," One of the officers spoke, raising the mask of his tactical garb and making a motion towards Natalie.

"No," Sarah spat back more forcefully than she intended, scooting herself towards the girl. "Natalie has been with me the entire time. She has helped me. No one here has harmed me in anyway. You had no right to come here and start a fight."

"We had orders straight from your father to mobilize a unit to rescue you from your kidnappers," The officer replied defensively.

"I wasn't kidnapped," Sarah shouted bitterly.

"They found your car," the officer replied. "We received a report."

"If O'Dragmire hadn't pulled me out of the car I would be in it at the bottom of Lake Hylia," Sarah cried. "Didn't Link tell you I was okay?"

"We did receive a report from him," the officer affirmed, "though it was impossible for him to have come out here with the bridge being destroyed, so we disregarded the testimony."

"He was telling the truth," Sarah caustically spat. "Now because everyone has overreacted lives have been lost. Even if I had been kidnapped, was this cost worth it?" Natalie began to cry over her father again, clinging to him as if she could induce a response.

"We had orders to shoot only if there was resistance, which we met as soon as we entered the building. Casualties were minimal. We have the insurgents in custody."

"Let them go! They did nothing wrong."

"Gun fighting has occurred and casualties on both sides. We must take them in for questioning. Your affidavit will be taken into consideration."

"We can both vouch for her," Link commented sternly, stepping in front of Natalie as several officers crept towards her. "She has been through a lot. Besides, she is a minor." The officer frowned but nodded his head curtly. "Sarah," Link softly said, pulling her hands away from where they were still resting on a bloody bed sheet. "There isn't anything you can do right now. Let's just go home." Sarah looked down at her blood soaked arms and the girl crying over her fallen father. She sighed and fought back the tears that threatened to spill. She took a deep breath, willing herself to remain composed. Natalie had no strength at the moment, and it appeared that Sarah was the only one able to lend her any. Link gently helped her to her feet.

"Natalie," Sarah whispered gently to the sobbing teen. Natalie shook her head and refused to budge.

"How many casualties were there?" Natalie spoke in a cracked voice, barely audible to those closest to her.

"We lost three," the officer huffed, clearly impatient and insensitive. "You only lost the one," he added waving to O'Dragmires supine form.

"Natalie, I am sorry. There isn't anything we can do here anymore," Sarah beckoned to the girl.

"Da is nae dead," Natalie squeaked. Her eyes were clear yet unfocused so it was impossible to tell what state of shock she was in. No one would have blamed her for succumbing to delirium after witnessing the attack on her home and the death of her father.

"Natalie, lets go, please," Link replied gently.

"No," Natalie insisted. "Listen, he is still breathing." She finally sat herself upright, ignoring the blood covering her arms, face and hair. They stared expectantly, but no movement could be seen on his chest.

"We don't have time for this," the officer gruffed and strode over to the red-haired girl. He grabbed her roughly on the shoulder, intending to haul her rudely to her feet. Just as he touched the teen, a large hand above a tattooed wrist shot out and grabbed his arm. The officer recoiled in shock and surprise. Link and Sarah moved back in unfathomable horror. Natalie's lips spread in an eerie smile that matched the bleak surroundings.

"He is nae dead."


	7. Chapter 6

Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo.

* * *

><p><em>Chu Memorial Hospital, Hylia<em>

"Just one more, hold still. There. I got it," the technician droned as Sarah lay on the cold surface in the recesses of the hospital. She waited impatiently in her awkward position until she was helped off the uncomfortable slab and into a slightly less discomforting wheelchair. "As soon as the doctor takes a look at these x-rays he will let you know what needs to be done."

"Thank you," Sarah replied politely, holding back the urge to demand information the tech wouldn't know anyway. She stared at the floor as it rolled by; bringing her closer to the small room in the emergency department at Chu Memorial Hospital she now occupied.

Sarah lay back in the narrow bed, trying to process the recent events. Her time at the hotel now felt like it was an entirely different time and place. The minutes ticked by as she lay in tortured thoughts before a brief knock preceded the curtain being pulled back.

"Hi, I'm Dr. Shikashi. I have the results of your x-ray," the old doctor smiled.

"Come in," Sarah offered, still maintaining an air of controlled dignity despite being confined to a bed in an unbecoming hospital gown. The doctor nodded and entered the room. He placed the pictures in a slot and back lit them. "Well?" Sarah prompted.

"There isn't anything to be done," The doctor admitted. "The break way pretty severe, but whoever set the bone knew what they were doing. All we are going to do is give you an orthopedic boot and some crutches so you can be up on your own."

"That will be a relief," Sarah sighed. "How is Mr. O'Dragmire?"

"I'm sorry but privacy laws do not allow me to discuss patient information."

"Where is Natalie?"

"I am sorry. There is nothing I can legally disclose to you. I'll let you get dressed and the nurse will come in to fit you with the boot." The doctor smiled as he rose from the chair. He collected the x-rays and left her alone in the sterile hospital room. Sarah sighed in frustration and clumsily maneuvered into a clean set of clothes her father had procured for her. She had barely said a few words to him in passing and sorely longed for his counsel. Sarah had barely finished fastening her pants when the curtain slipped open with a brief rap.

"Miss Hyrule, I'm here to fit your orthopedics." The nurse gave as introduction. The young nurse quickly fit a clunky boot that reached to her knee without giving much effort to conversation. Another rap announced the arrival of another hospital employee.

"Miss Hyrule? I am Ms. Yan from social services. I need to ask you a few questions about a young girl." The newcomer was an overweight woman with gravity defying hair.

"How is Natalie?"

"Yes, that is the one." The Ms. Yan smiled kindly. "She is in a bit of a predicament. She is underage and she doesn't have anyone we can release her to at the moment. Natalie gave us your name. I didn't think you would account for her, given the circumstances, but we have to try to find any pursue any leads to suitable guardianship. If she doesn't have a guardian we will have no choice but to admit her to the psychiatric unit."

"Of course I will assume responsibility for her," Sarah replied instantly, "but where is her father?" Ms. Yan looked genuinely surprised at her answer.

"Legally I cannot disclose that information to you."

Sarah rolled her eyes in such a way that Natalie would be proud. "Why is she up on the psyc unit?" Sarah asked bluntly.

"It is against policy to say."

"I'm her temporary guardian but I can't know what is going on with her?"

"I have paperwork you need to fill out first, then I'll get it signed as a court order. Only then can I give you information, but I'm sure Natalie will tell you before then. I'll call you when you can pick her up."

"I'll just wait here for her. How long will it take?"

"A few hours, perhaps. We have a judge already coming here today so there shouldn't be a delay in getting the papers signed." The social worker flipped through her briefcase and fished out a packet. She handed it to Sarah and excused herself. Sarah furiously filled out the paperwork while absently listening to the nurse give her instructions on her boot. She left Sarah to finish the discharge paperwork and Sarah filled over half the packet out before a returned. The nurse gave her more instructions and handed her papers and a prescription for pain medication.

Sarah hobbled awkwardly to the waiting room, juggling papers as tried to find a good grip on the crutches. "Sarah," her father said in relief as she left the emergency department.

"Hi, Dad," Sarah replied flatly as she lowered herself into a nearby chair. The short distance had already exhausted her. She let her crutches fall unceremoniously to the floor as her father sat next to her. A young man moved to pick the crutches up and propped them against the wall with a smile. Sarah gave a quick glance and then smiled fully at Link, who took a seat opposite of her.

"Can someone tell me what has happened?" Sarah pleaded. "I couldn't get anything out of the staff and I've been in there for several hours. What is going on?"

Link's lips pressed into a thin line but it was the mayor who began to speak. "We lost two officers in the raid. One was critically injured but it looks like he will pull through. There are some other minor injuries but they are getting patched up."

"And what of the Gerudo?"

"Who?

"The employees from the Hotel Gerudo."

"I can't attest to anyone currently in the hospital. The others are currently in police custody."

"Why are they still in custody? I thought we had it straightened out they didn't do anything wrong?" Sarah demanded.

"Honey, we are still trying to get the events of the past few days in order. We are still collecting affidavits. You will need to submit one yourself, by the way."

"Always more paperwork," Sarah grumbled, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" her father asked. He gazed at her apprehensively. Sarah's sweet demeanor was completely gone.

"Yeah, fine," she replied curtly, not bothering to look at him in reply.

"You don't sound or look fine. What is going on in your mind?" Mayor Hyrule asked insistently.

"I need some time to process everything that has happened. In the meantime there are papers to fill out and other things to worry about. I want a moment to myself but I know I have responsibilities," she said bleakly while motioning to the waiting papers.

"You have had a hard weekend. Take care of yourself for now and worry about the other things later,"

"I have some things I have to do before my pity party."

"You are mayor potential to the core," he responded with a hint of pride.

"I don't know, Dad," Sarah responded, opening up the packet to begin filling out the forms again. "After all that has happened… I made a mess out of things. If I hadn't insisted on pressing that stupid proposition through this wouldn't have happened."

"You were dead set on it before, what changed your mind?"

"I didn't know how it would truly affect Mr. O'Dragmire. I was so focused on how it would "help" him that it didn't occur to me that it might actually hurt his business. I spent several days with him and I see things differently now. I don't know how to describe what happened up there. It is just… I don't know."

"Did he do anything to you?" her father asked looking at her sternly. Sarah looked at him and noticed suspicious look he shot her. It was reminiscent of the way he would question her when she got back from dates. Link was a little too interested in the answer.

"What? Dad, no!" Sarah replied in exasperation, blushing slightly. "It isn't anything like that. I guess I just got a different perspective on the land acquisition, and… life I suppose. I'm just confused right now."

Her father beamed down at her. "It seems you've learned some very important lessons. You've learned some things in the past few days that most politicians don't learn in their entire careers. There is always a different perspective. Don't let this one setback deter you from your dreams. We all make mistakes. Take what wisdom you can and move forward."

"I doubt your mistakes got anyone killed," Sarah replied sarcastically.

"That part is not your fault," the mayor answered sternly. "That was, in part, my mistake. That was the mistake of Mr. O'Dragmire and his employees who chose to fire instead of negotiate. There were so many mistakes made in the last week that we are all tangled up in the blame. That is why I am asking you to learn what you can and move on." Sarah merely huffed and sank lower in her chair.

"I'll move on once this whole thing is sorted out and I know everything is going to be okay. How long will it be before you release Mr. O'Dragmire's employees? There doesn't need to be an investigation. I can attest for them."

"Do you honestly think you can twist the laws in your favor to get what you want then disregard them when they don't suit you? You know that isn't the way it works. Knowledge of our government both gives us freedom to initiate change and chains us to protocol," her father lectured, slipping back into mayor mode. "I hate to leave you now, but now that I know you are alright I have to go talk to the media before this story gets out of hand. I love you, Sarah. I am proud of you, too."

"Thanks, Daddy," Sarah whispered as her father disappeared down the corridor. Link immediately occupied the chair the mayor had vacated. He didn't speak but sat in silence while Sarah finished filling out the forms to assume temporary guardianship of Natalie. Sarah fidgeted irritably in her seat, glaring at people who came into the emergency department as if they came just to annoy her. She didn't speak to the boy waiting patiently by her, thankful for once of his characteristic silence.

"I'll take that for you," Link offered once Sarah had finished. She handed him the packet and watched him walk away. She once again closed her eyes and tried to sort out her feelings. Things just felt wrong to her, but she felt like she was being swept helpless along a predestined current. She was so consumed with her thoughts she didn't notice Link had returned. "Are you going to be okay, Sarah?" he asked quietly. She immediately straightened up, and began to compose herself, once again assuming her usual collected demeanor.

"I will be fine," Sarah replied, willing herself out of her sour mood. "What about you, you had a couple of crazy days as well." Link merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Just another day for me. I'm just glad everything turned out okay."

"I don't know how things turned out at all," Sarah declared, shifting impatiently in her seat. "I don't have the slightest idea who is hurt and to what extent. I don't know Mr. O'Dragmire's status. I don't know how Natalie is. I don't know how the city is handling this hoopla."

"Do you want to find out?" Link asked slyly, interrupting her before she began to rant. Sarah gave him a confused look until Link grinned and pulled out his phone. "The hospital has free wi-fi, so it makes it pretty easy. I've been bored waiting on you so I've been testing their security. See? I'm in the system already. Who do you want to check on first?"

"Mr. O'Dragmire," Sarah replied without hesitation. Link shot her a questioning glance but went back to his phone and began searching.

"The hospital's charting system is all computerized right now, so we should be able to see what is going on, as long as it has been documented. Ganondorf? What kind of a name is that?"

"Irish, I think."

"It isn't an Irish name I've heard of before," Link replied suspiciously. "Okay, here we go. It looks like he is in surgery. He has been there for a few hours already. They are trying to close an abdominal would and he is getting a blood transfusion. Wow, that is a lot of blood." Link shot Sarah and apologetic glance. Sarah was looking rather pale.

"Just find out about Natalie," she whispered, looking pleadingly at Link. She knew Mr. O'Dragmire wouldn't be doing well, but knowing he was undergoing major surgery made the reality of his condition set in. Link fiddled with his phone again.

"She is up psychiatric unit. She had a mental evaluation done, which shows that she is not a danger to herself or others, to be discharged pending suitable guardianship." Sarah nodded numbly.

"Do I really count as suitable guardianship?" Sarah mumbled, slipping back into self-pity.

"Sarah, snap out of it," Link replied sharply. Sarah looked at him immediately, shocked by his bluntness. She was a bit used to people sugar coating her reprimands.

"What do you mean?" she demanded indignantly. He shrugged his shoulders and looked away.

"Like it or not, at this time you are in the public eye. As soon as we leave here you are going to have to think about what kind of image you project. I'm not trying to discredit your feelings, but think about this wisely. O'Dragmire has already been painted as the bad guy. That is a fact. If you go out there acting like a damsel in distress do you think that is going to change their opinion? You put yourself in a position where everyone is watching you. They are going to tear you to shreds to find out how strong you really are. They want to see you hurt. They want to see you cry because it validates their bias. They _want _O' Dragmire to be an evil villain. They want this to be a huge tragedy because it makes a better story. If you play the helpless victim O'Dragmire is going to lose any understanding he ever had. There goes his business; there goes any future Natalie had in this community. There isn't much you can do about the past. Right now, O'Dragmire needs an advocate. The public needs a strong princess…uh… mayor… intern… yeah."

Sarah had been staring at Link in disbelief at his passionate impromptu speech. She started to giggle at his slip up, despite the tears that spilled as the truth sank in. She buried her head in her hands and both giggled and cried in turns. "You know a lot about public image for someone who rarely talks," she teased, wiping the tears from her face, a smile forming. It was Link's turn to become sullen.

"When your father is an alcoholic you learn when to hide your feelings and the value of being insignificant."

"Link, you aren't insignificant."

"I've spent how many years single handedly keeping the City of Hylia's technology department running and you didn't even know my name until last week." Sarah cringed at the truth of Link's observation. She may not have officially worked at the city but she spent considerable time at her father's office since she was a child. Link gave her a knowing, but non-condemning look before continuing. "I'm just the idiot who swam across a swollen river. No biggie. Hopefully the most I will get is a lecture from Sara, from Parks and Recreation, about how stupid that was. Never mind everything that happened because of it. Do you know they haven't asked me for an affidavit? They haven't done a psyc eval or questioned me at all and I'm the one who stabbed him. I didn't mean to. It just happened. The only thing I was thinking about was getting you out of there and it just… happened. It was almost like…" Link trailed off.

"It was supposed to happen," she finished for him. Link nodded numbly. Sarah found herself surprised at him once again. Link kept his thoughts in check and maintained a blank face. Had he not just spoken his mind so plainly; Sarah would never have known he was even upset. "Thank you for coming for me," Sarah whispered, reaching over and squeezing his had. Link gave the slightest squeeze back.

"Any time," he replied sincerely. They sat in silence for a few moments.

"So where do we go from here?" Sarah asked bleakly. She didn't know how things were going to play out but it was comforting to know there was one person who understood what she was going through, and didn't judge her in the slightest.

"You are going to go to meet your father in the lobby for a touching public reunion where you can do some PR and damage control." Link replied plainly, giving her an unreadable look.

"Aren't you coming with me?" Sarah pleaded. She wanted the comfort of knowing he was there. Link only shook his head slowly.

"No, the main server crashed again," Link shrugged. Sarah was starting to get annoyed at the gesture. "The backup is doing okay but it is slow. I need to have it up and running before it gets bombarded again." Sarah shot him a disappointed look but he returned with a smile. "That is just how things work out. I bust my butt in solitude so everyone else can have the glory. You can handle this part on your own. Just get through this afternoon and then one step at a time from there." Link smiled as he walked silently away out the emergency room doors, ignoring the few reporters that pounced the moment he hit the parking lot. Sarah wished she could just follow him and leave quietly, but she turned to the lobby and steadily gimped her way down the hall.

She had enough time to get annoyed that Link had ducked out instead of helping her before she made it to the main lobby. Her internal annoyance had taken the edge off her nervousness to where she was surprised to find herself immediately surrounded by flashing lights. She quickly put on a smile when she saw her father and greeted him as if she hadn't just seen him a few minutes before. She once again assured him she was just fine and she just had a broken leg from the car wreck.

It felt like an eternity passed as she tried to answer questions about her ordeal as lightly as possible. The circus had just begun to subside when Natalie was escorted to the lobby. The remaining reporters took the opportunity to question the overwhelmed teen who had no qualms about expressing her very negative opinion on how the city was handling the situation. Sarah had to drag Natalie out of the foray before her attitude could undo the image she had tried to paint of her rescuers.

"I am nae leaving here until I see Da," Natalie insisted, crossing her arms in front of her and assuming a cocky stance.

"Natalie, I don't know a thing about him." Sarah confessed. She was slowly steering the teen down the corridors where the media couldn't follow them.

"All I know is that he is in surgery," Natalie spat. "No one will tell me anything more than that. People at this hospital are jerks. They took me to the psyc ward and tried to give me all these tests like I was a loon."

"Would you rather be in jail like your aunts?" Sarah finally snapped back, tired of Natalie's attitude.

"Excuse me?" Natalie demanded in shock. Sarah flinched, realizing Natalie did not know this piece of information.

"Your aunts are all in jail," Sarah explained. "They are being held until this mess can be sorted out."

"I guess that is why they wouldnae release me to them." Natalie huffed. "That lady told me they werenae considered suitable guardians and I thought she just didnae like that we are nae Hylian."

"Honestly Natalie, your family is more worried about that than we are."

"You did nae hear the gossip in school."

"Real life is hardly like high school, thank the trinity."

"It better be different, cause life sucks about now. Where can we find out about Da?"

"The surgery waiting room is this way," Sarah sighed slowly navigating the halls as she became familiar with her new mode of walking. They entered the waiting room and Natalie immediately demanded that the secretary let her in to see her father. Sarah had to intervene before security was called. Natalie finally settled down and mindlessly flipped through a magazine only after being promised to be allowed to see her father after he came out of surgery.

More hours ticked by. Sarah sat numbly, hardly moving as exhaustion and pain medication rendered her useless. Natalie fidgeted and paced, consuming cups of complimentary coffee that only increased her agitation.

"O'Dragmire?" a monotone voice called that diverted Natalie's attention at once.

"How is Da?" she demanded immediately. Sarah roused herself from her stupor and began to rise.

"I can give you an update in the consultation room. Please follow me," The apathetic doctor told her.

"Hold on a second. I have to go to the bathroom," Natalie declared as she dashed off. The doctor gave a small huff of impatience, but smiled as he saw Sarah gimp toward him.

"Miss Hyrule, what can I do for you?" he asked as warmly as his sternness would allow.

"I would like to find out about Mr. O'Dragmire as well," She replied groggily.

"I need to have permission from his next of kin first," he replied. Sarah nodded, too tired to offer any resistance. Natalie returned and helped herself to another cup of coffee before following the doctor while practically dragging Sarah with her. They settled down in a small room hardly larger than a closet.

"Mr. O'Dragmire is out of surgery. We had more trouble closing the abdominal wound than we would have expected, but it is as good as it is going to get. The organs aren't severely damaged but there was a lot of bleeding. He's already had several units of blood and we expect to have to give him several more. We patched him up as best we could but his vitals started getting too unstable and we had to finish quickly. Frankly I'm surprised he survived but he is a strong man. Right now we are sending him to the intensive care unit and will observe him closely. There isn't anything we can do until he stabilizes."

"I guess that is good," Natalie replied, looking utterly confused as she let the information sink in.

"As good as we could hope for, given the situation," the doctor affirmed.

"When can I see him? When will he wake up?" Natalie asked.

"That is the thing, Miss O'Dragmire," the doctor replied tentatively. "He should have already woken up."

"What do you mean?" Natalie asked warily.

"Natalie, your father is comatose."

Natalie stared coldly at the doctor silently for a full minute before she could speak, "What do you mean?"

"Miss O'Dragmire, your father is unresponsive. We are unable to arouse him at this point," The doctor replied impassively.

"Bring him back!" Natalie demanded, throwing her half finished coffee at the doctor. Luckily he had quick reflexes and dodged the projectile.

"Your father has gone under a lot of stress. It is going to take time for his body to heal. It is like his spirit has been sealed away," the doctor tried to explain gently.

"Do nae you have drugs you can give him to wake him up?" Natalie tearfully pleaded, her brogue deepening with her agitation. Sarah laid a comforting hand on her shoulder as Natalie struggled to hold back the tears.

"I'm sorry," the doctor replied. "It is a miracle he is even alive. There is nothing more we can do but try to keep him alive and see if he wakes on his own."

Natalie's mouth moved wordlessly in desperate protests, but finally she hung her head. "Can I see him?" she whispered, letting her tears fall uninterrupted.

"He is being taken to ICU now. I'll have someone escort you," the doctor replied before leaving the room. Natalie sat making strange noises as she tried to stop crying as Sarah silently held her hand. Natalie continued to breathe raggedly as she was led through the hallways, but was able to regain a calmer demeanor by the time she was buzzed into the intensive care unit. She walked into the unit silently and uncharacteristically timid. Sarah had been made to wait outside due to the cluster of people trying to get O'Dragmire hooked up into various machines.

"Da?" she mouthed, wide-eyed as she leaned against the door frame to her father's room. One nurse was checking his vital signs while another was hanging a bag of whitish liquid that drained down a tube inserted through his nose. He hardly looked human in his current state. She shifted to bring herself fully into the room.

"You must be Mr. O'Dragmire's daughter," one of the nurses greeted when she noticed Natalie staring in shock. Natalie could do little more than weakly nod. "I'm Ima. I'll be his nurse. I am just finishing up his admission assessment. I'll be glad to answer any questions you have." Natalie nodded again and sank into a vinyl chair in the corner of the room as she silently watched the nurses perform their tasks. They swiftly finished checking lines and tubes and double checking the doctor's orders. Ima left to type her report into the computer but returned as soon as she finished. She found Natalie still sitting stiffly staring at her father.

"You seem to be upset. Is there anything you want to talk about?" Ima gently asked.

"He is nae dead," Natalie whispered, her eyes still locked on her father's still form.

"No, he isn't," Ima affirmed.

"He is nae there, either," Natalie continued, finally looking at the nurse. She was tall and sturdy with grey hair pulled tightly back. Her face was youthful, making it impossible to guess her age.

"There is no way of knowing what he is experiencing right now," Ima explained. "Some people can still hear and feel while in a coma, others are completely unaware of their environment."

"How do you know he is alive then?" Natalie asked desperately. Ima crossed the room to stand by her and pointed to a monitor on the wall.

"The line up top shows his heart rate," she said as she pointed to a green line blipping across the screen. "It is a little slow, but your father was in excellent condition, so I am not concerned. The line underneath shows his breathing, which is normal. The numbers underneath are his blood pressure, which is excellent. By all his vital signs he is in perfect health. Even his brain activity appears normal. He just…"

"Is nae here," Natalie finished for her. Ima sighed. "When will he come back?"

"I can't tell you that," Ima apologized, crouching to put herself on eye level with Natalie. "We don't know why he isn't awake. Medicine isn't as exact a science as some people would believe. We will do the best we can, but even I can't work miracles."

Natalie nodded slowly. "Can I talk to him?" she asked softly.

"Yes," Ima replied encouragingly. "He may be able to hear you. I'll give you some privacy, but I'll be just outside charting if you need me."

Natalie nodded slightly again and stood by her father as the nurse left the room. She stared blankly at her father for several moments, trying to take in the shock of the last few hours. "Da?" she asked softly, the word chocking in her throat as she spoke. No response. "It's me, Natalie, your daughter. Wake up." There was still no response. The monitors kept their rhythmic beeping without pause. "Wake up Da," Natalie pleaded. "Mum died after going into the hospital. Do nae you dare die on me. You have to wake up. Wake up." Natalie slapped her father's arm. There was no change whatsoever on any of the machines hooked up to the silent man. "Da, wake up," he cried desperately, letting her tears spill unabashedly. She sobbed openly in the seclusion of the hospital room, sinking down against the side rail of the bed. "Wake up," she demanded, once again striking the unresponsive form of her father. She hit him again, trying to elicit any response she could.

Nothing.

Natalie pounded on him again, attracting the attention of Ima, who came rushing in. Ima caught her arm mid flail and diverted her energy away from the bed. "It won't do any good," she whispered gently.

Natalie looked at her tearfully in confusion. She was only half aware of what she was doing at that point. "Wake him up," she begged. Ima did not reply but looked kindly at the girl. Natalie melted into sobs and Ima caught her in a comforting embrace. She gently rocked the girl and held her in silence, her motherly instinct washing over the room. Eventually Natalie's wails subsided and she stood in exhaustion staring at her father. Ima gently led Natalie from the room. Natalie looked back at her father one last time as she passed the threshold.

"Just wake up."

The monitors continued their monotonous song.

* * *

><p>Author's note: This is only minimally related. I was playing Twilight Princess and I got to the point where you meet Ganondorf in the castle and I told my brother I pictured him sounding like Sean Connery. My brother proceeded to say every line while imitating him. It was hilarious, especially when he did puppet Zelda. I realize Sean Connery is Scottish and not Irish, and the brogue is different, but that made me think of this story and is the reason I sat down and wrote this chapter even though my insanely busy semester is not over yet. Anyway, thanks for reading my story.<p> 


	8. Chapter 7 Revised

Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo.

The revision is the addition of material at the end, after the double line. Sorry for any confusion this causes. ~Trixie

* * *

><p>"I've never seen anything like this," the neurologist said, showing the nurse the results of the latest brain scan.<p>

"Well?" Ima prompted, looking at the colorful image on the screen

"O'Dragmire is completely unresponsive," the neurologist explained. "There are no variations in his vital signs no matter what happens. We haven't seen a single muscle twitch, but his brain is very much alive. I can tell from the patterns that his brain is being stimulated, just as if he were awake."

"Is that really so odd in a comatose patient?"

"Normally I would say no. However, his sensory perception is completely separate of any stimulation we give him. He is seeing, hearing, even smelling completely independent of the here and now. Even the language and speech centers are being stimulated. It is like he living a separate life inside his head. His physical body is here but his spirit is in a separate realm. It is fascinating. I wonder what he is experiencing."

Ima poked her head closer to the computer screen. "What indeed," she murmured.

* * *

><p>The incessant beeping of one machine or another echoed in the otherwise silent room. Although it was a bright afternoon outside, the shadows from the half closed blinds made it appear to be twilight. The air smelled heavily of antiseptics. It was in this lonely intensive care room that O'Dragmire laid in a comatose state. He had shown no signs of movement or responsiveness since the showdown at the hotel, yet he somehow clung to life despite the damage done to his body. The surgeons had done their best to repair the damaged tissue, but there was only so much they could do given his unstable condition.<p>

The nurse walked in this lonely afternoon and introduced herself as usual before assessing the unresponsive O'Dragmire. He was unchanged since the last time she had been in the room. "I need to check your stomach again, Mr. O'Dragmire," she informed him before shuffling the blankets and gown to provide privacy while revealing the bandages running along his abdomen. She felt the skin around the bandages to check for signs of infection. The wound was like everything else, unchanged. There was no sign of complications, but no signs of healing either. Ima sighed in frustration and then fumbled for her phone when it started ringing.

"I'm sorry, I normally have my phone on vibrate," she said to her silent patient as the old Hylian folk song played. She quickly silenced the phone and looked at the monitors. Ima checked O'Dragmire's pulse to be sure the monitor was right. His pulse was speeding up. Ima waited silently for a few minutes to see what would happen. She gave out another frustrated huff when his vitals returned to what they had always been. "I'll check on you again in a few minutes," Ima said wearily as she left the room to document the temporary change. She couldn't tell it was a good sign or not, but it was the only change that taken place in her patient of the last three weeks.

Ima was barely out of the door when her phone went off again. She shuffled quickly to silence the phone again but dropped it in the process. The ring tone became louder and continued until Ima was able to retrieve it from under the desk where it had slid.

O'Dragmire's eyes flew open. He scrambled out of the bed in a panic and began pulling out tubes and lines that were stuck in his body. The noise drew Ima back into the room. O'Dragmire looked at her with a wild gaze and immediately seized the front of her shirt and growled, "Where is she?"

Without displaying any emotion, Ima deftly broke free from his grasp and positioned herself by the open door, ready to call for help if needed. "Natalie?" she said in a calm voice. "She is at school right now."

"Nae Natalie! The p… Natalie?" O'Dragmire stopped through his roar and looked around the room. His fevered glare turned to confusion.

"Your daughter, Natalie, is at school right now," Ima explained calmly. "Do you know where you are, Mr. O'Dragmire?"

He stopped and looked around the room again and down at his faded hospital gown. He still looked confused.

"You are in Chu Memorial Hospital," Ima explained.

O'Dragmire frowned,"But you are…"

"I am Ima, your nurse. I have been taking care of you for the past three weeks while you have been in a coma. Could I get you to lay back down for me?"

"Why?"

"We have been having a terrible time getting the wound on your side to heal and it looks like it is bleeding again. Plus the line you pulled out of your arm went to your heart and I'd rather not have you bleed to death.

O'Dragmire reached down and touched his side where he had been stabbed. His hand was immediately painted red. He looked back at the nurse and sank back onto the bed. "I was stabbed," he said as the nurse rushed to stop the bleeding and called for an aide to call the doctor.

"That is right," Ima confirmed as she pressed gauze against the slowly bleeding arm. "Hold this while I look at your stomach," she ordered. O'Dragmire obediently held the strip in place while Ima pulled the hospital gown up. "Do you remember anything?"

"I remember being in the hotel. The police were attacking. Someone was trying to move Zelda,"

"Sarah,"

"Sarah. She had a broken leg. I went to help her and then I was stabbed. I think it was supposed to be an accident but… I do nae know."

"Do you remember anything else?" Ima asked as she applied pressure to the wound on the side.

"Natalie was there. You said she was at school. Is she okay?"

"She is fine. A little shaken from the experience perhaps, but she wasn't hurt at all."

"How is Zelda?" O'Dragmire asked before wincing as Ima pressed harder.

"Sarah is doing well." Ima said passively. The bleeding had stopped and Ima began to clean up the bloody mess. The doctor arrived and his eyes widened at the scene.

"You are awake," He observed, cleaning his hands as he walked through the door.

"You are observant," O'Dragmire replied in an ironically pleasant voice, causing Ima's face to crack into a smile. The doctor went through a routine examination and excused himself to reference O'Dragmire's chart. Ima continued hooking O'Dragmire up to various machines.

"The doctor said your brain was still active when you were out and you were speaking when you woke up. Do you remember anything? Any dreams?" Ima asked calmly as she finished attaching the leads to the heart monitor. O'Dragmire looked a bit confused as he thought for a moment.

"No," he replied honestly. "I feel disoriented, but the last thing I remember is Natalie."

"That is perfectly alright," Ima assured him. "I just wanted to know. It might have been interesting to know what you were dreaming about."

"Was I dreaming?"

"In your mind you were experiencing something. How do you feel now that you have settled down a bit?"

"I still feel _un_settled, like something is nae right," he replied with a frown.

"Can you tell me what doesn't feel right?"

"No, I can nae. That is what is so frustrating."

"Don't beat yourself up over it," Ima smiled. "You have been out for about three weeks and it may take some time to reorient yourself." The doctor returned with a courtesy knock.

"Mr. O'Dragmire," he began in a dull voice, "the sutures on your wound are stable but wound itself still isn't closing. I consulted the surgeon but he agreed that there is not much we can do by going back in and trying to reattach things. We would rather not put you under anesthesia again if we can avoid it. I'm afraid it is a game of wait-and-see at this point. Perhaps things will progress better now that you are awake. Any questions?" O'Dragmire shook his head and the doctor nodded and went away.

"How much did I heal while I was out?" he asked as soon as the doctor left.

"Really? Why did you not ask the doctor while he was here?" Ima replied in frustration. O'Dragmire merely shrugged. "To tell you the truth; not at all. I've never seen anything like it. The tissue just won't close. We've basically been doing all we can to keep you from bleeding to death."

"Is the bleeding constant?"

"No, it just randomly goes. We've had to give you several blood transfusions."

"Oh," was all O'Dragmire replied before his eyes drooped in exhaustion. Ima finished tidying up the room and prepared to leave silently. "Do nae go," O'Dragmire pleaded, though his eyes remained shut as he fought off into sleep.

"I'm sorry," Ima whispered, "I thought were asleep."

"I do nae want to be alone," O'Dragmire murmured. "In the end I always end up alone. No matter what I do. It seems so pointless."

"My other patient was discharged a few hours ago so I'm all yours for now. I'll bring my computer in and sit with you while I chart." Ima patted him on the arm and returned quickly, wheeling her computer station into the room. Her presence and the sound of her typing lulled the patient to sleep. Ima smiled as she watched him succumb to slumber, because this time it was peaceful and natural.

* * *

><p>A few hours later a well rested O'Dragmire was sitting with the bed raised. The shades had been pulled open to flood the room with light, though the corner O'Dragmire occupied was still situated in a tranquil shadow. Ima continued working at her computer, though she looked industrious, the silent and focused nurse was actually researching material on the internet. She broke her studious gaze only when she heard a familiar gait in the ICU.<p>

"Hi Ima, how is Da?" Natalie sighed, throwing her book bag into the corner and sinking into a well-worn vinyl chair, failing to look at the man in question.

"I am well, how are you?" an amused masculine voice answered. Natalie's eyes snapped up, bewildered and excited. The first smile to cross her lips since the incident appeared as she flung herself across the small room.

"Da!" she cried as she hugged him vigorously. O'Dragmire gave out a small chuckle as he gently returned the gesture.

"Careful with him, honey," Ima cautioned as she gently pried Natalie off. Natalie wiped tears from her eyes and smiled up at the nurse.

"This is awesome. When did he finally wake up?" She asked.

"Just a couple of hours ago," Ima replied. "He woke up rather suddenly and was bleeding again so please be careful with his side. Does it hurt at all now?" Ima asked her charge.

"About the same as usual," was the reply. Ima quickly checked to see if there was any new bleeding from the jostling.

"This is great Da!" Natalie exclaimed, still bouncing excitedly by the bed. "When will you get to leave?" O'Dragmire smiled at his daughter's enthusiasm, but it turned to a grimace as another wave of pain hit him. "What's wrong?"

"Natalie, why don't you calm down?" Ima suggested. "He's easily overwhelmed at this point. How about talking to him about what has been going on?" Natalie bounced over to a chair and plopped down.

"The aunts are still in jail," Natalie offered. O'Dragmire's countenance fell and Ima raised her eyebrows.

"I meant a lighter topic," she stated flatly.

"What is going on with the aunts?" O'Dragmire asked insistently.

"They were being held after the incident, and somehow their names came up in the system. They are being extradited back to Ireland." Natalie explained glumly.

"I wasnae able to protect them after all," O'Dragmire whispered as his face grew pale. "Do you know if they are after me?" Natalie shrugged but Ima was able to answer.

"No," she assured him firmly. "Your legal residency here gives you some protection. They may have been employed by you and residing at your hotel, but you are not directly linked to their crimes or illegal departure so you are not being investigated by Irish law."

"How do you know that, Ima?" Natalie asked suspiciously.

"How indeed?" was her cryptic reply.

"What has happened to the hotel?" O'Dragmire asked, relieved.

"It's empty right now," Natalie replied sullenly. "It doesn't seem right without anyone there. It looks terrible. I arraigned to have the horses boarded over in Acrimon with the understanding they get to keep the horses if we are unable to cover their boarding expenses in three years time. Like that will happen; those are the best bread horses in this country and they know it. I contacted everyone who had made reservations and told them we are closed indefinitely for repairs. I offered to either refund the money or extend their stay at no extra charge when they reopen. It took a hit to the account but we are still in the black."

"Good girl," her father replied with a trace of a smile. "How have you been?"

"Fine," Natalie shrugged. "Ima made me go to the last cross country meet. I came in third overall."

"Good job, _leannán_." Her father said with pride. Natalie shrugged again.

"I didnae want to go," she whined.

"What else would have been doing?" her father inquired.

"Nothing, just hanging out here," Natalie replied as she slumped farther into her chair.

"You did nae have to stay around the hospital for me when I was in a coma," O'Dragmire replied with a slight frown. "I'd rather you go out and live your life instead of hanging out here. Where have you been staying?"

"Here," was Natalie's reply. O'Dragmire's frown deepened.

"We have been letting Natalie sleep in the hospital under the condition that she goes to school everyday," Ima matter-of-factly explained.

"Do nae you have somewhere else to go?" O'Dragmire inquired sternly. "I do nae want you spending so much time in such a gloomy place."

"I've been getting a lot of studying done," Natalie replied defensively.

"Legally she has been placed under the temporary guardianship of Miss Sarah Hyrule," Ima informed him. "Now that you are awake you will be assuming guardianship again."

"Why haven't you been staying with Sarah then?" O'Dragmire continued his interrogation. Natalie shrugged again.

"I wanted to be here in case anything happened," she explained sullenly, twisting her red hair in her hands. "Sarah is busy anyway. I do nae want to be a bother."

"Some guardian she is," her father grumbled.

"She was okay," Natalie protested. "She helped me settle things with the hotel and she comes to check on me everyday."

"Is she coming today?" he asked a bit too eagerly. Natalie nodded in reply. O'Dragmire began to smile but it quickly turned into a grimace as he clutched his side.

"Let me go call the doctor about getting you better pain medicine," Ima said as she excused herself.

"Do you hurt, Da?" Natalie asked with her eyes full of concern. O'Dragmire observed his daughter. He could see the way exhaustion had left its mark on her face. Her face was drawn with concern and she looked very much like a frightened little girl.

"Yes, Natalie, I hurt," He honestly replied, laying back in the narrow hospital bed and closing his eyes.

"You are nae going to die on me, are you?" she blurted out, gripping the armrest of the worn hospital chair.

"Nae," O'Dragmire chuckled, finding a bit of humor despite his pain. "I have nae intention of dying. I'm just… tired."

"You just woke up though."

"I know, but I'm still tired. Wake me up when Zelda gets here."

"Who?" Natalie asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion. O'Dragmire frowned and had to think for a moment.

"Sarah," he replied softly, already drifting off to sleep.

"Just promise me you will wake up this time," she whispered back, her concern creeping into her voice.

"Yes, _leannán_. I will wake up."

Natalie pulled her long legs up into the seat and sat curled up in the chair, rocking herself gently and watching the incessant rhythm of the monitors.

* * *

><p>"I came as soon as I heard," Sarah said breathlessly as she entered the quiet ICU room, her crutches thumping against the tile floor. Natalie was still curled up in a ball, but stretched out lazily like a cat. She turned towards Sarah and forced a small smile.<p>

"He's been sleeping since before I called you," she yawned, waving towards his father.

"I thought you said he was awake," Sarah protested, her face pinching in concern.

"He was, but he keeps falling asleep," Natalie replied, standing to properly stretch her legs. "The nurse says that even though he was unconscious he didnae actually rest. She says he is actually sleeping now." They watched as he tossed in his sleep, a sign that he was no longer sealed in his own mind.

"When will he wake back up?" Sarah asked, lowering herself into the seat Natalie had vacated. She shrugged in reply.

"He wanted me to wake him up when you got here," she replied warily.

"Go ahead," Sarah prompted. Natalie stared at her with wide eyes.

"I remember what it was like waking him up before all this happened," she whispered. "I am nae going to attempt it now."

"He asked you to, I'm sure it would be fine," Sarah replied calmly. She tried to hide her excitement that he was getting better and her wish to speak with him. Natalie began to protest but crept beside her father and poked him gingerly in the arm. He snorted a response but didn't wake up.

"Da?" she whispered quietly. She backed up and shrugged but Sarah motioned her to try again. Natalie grabbed a bottle of lotion from the sink and threw it at him. He immediately sat up and glared at her.

"What do you think you are doing?" he snarled in his deep brogue as he sat up suddenly. Natalie tried to hide her giggles until her father clutched his side and lay stiffly back down.

"You asked me to wake you when Sarah got here," she reminded him defensively. O'Dragmire looked around and smiled softly when he saw Sarah sitting quietly and primly in the corner.

"How are you?" Sarah asked softly, nodding at the man in the hospital bed.

"I've been better, how are you?" He said in reply. An ironic smirk spread across his face.

"Fine." They stared awkwardly at each other.

"Thank you for taking care of Natalie for me," O'Dragmire said, taking his daughter's hand.

"It was no trouble at all," Sarah replied with a smile. "She is quite independent and has a good head on her shoulders."

"Aye that she does," he agreed.

"I'd prefer if you didnae speak about me as if I wasnae here," Natalie huffed, slumping down into her chair. She began to fiddle with the chain hanging off the blinds, causing the shadow to dance about the room.

"Sorry, dearest," her father apologized solemnly. "I am concerned about you and want to know how you have been doing, but you are nae always the best person to ask that."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Natalie demanded. Her face screwed up in rage as her temper flared.

"Only that you pretend everything is fine, even when you are upset," O'Dragmire pointed out. "You would never tell me if anything was the matter but Zelda would." Natalie crossed her arms and frowned.

"Of course everything is the matter!" Natalie pouted. "The hotel is in ruins, the aunts are getting deported, school sucks, my father has been comatose, and the media has been making it seem like everything that happened is your fault!" She sank farther into her chair and deepened her frown. Her father stared helplessly as she sniffed and stubborn tears crept unwilled from her eyes. O'Dragmire wanted to go to her, to hold her like she was just a little girl again and tell her everything was going to be alright, but he could only look at her from his bed. It was Sarah that stepped in and comforted her.

"It wasn't his fault," she murmured as she put her arms around the youth. Natalie shrugged her off initially but leaned into her a moment later.

"Are they giving you a hard time at school about this, then?" he gently questioned her.

"No," Natalie shook her head. "Quite the opposite. They are taking up a collection for your hospital bills because they know we don't have insurance. My track coach is also heading up the winter formal and she says she'll donate some of the proceeds."

"I did nae know they were so friendly with you," O'Dragmire mused, obviously impressed.

"I did nae either."

"So when is this winter formal you are going to?"

"I am nae going," Natalie replied with a look of disgust on her face.

"Why nae?"

"I do nae want to. I'd have to get dolled up to stand around and stare at a bunch of people," Natalie replied with a frown.

"Dances are a lot of fun," Sarah countered, remembering the social gatherings of her youth. Of course, Sarah had been quite popular and was often the center of attention. She didn't know what it was like for the more socially awkward girl.

"I do nae want to go," Natalie shrugged.

"I would like you to go," O'Dragmire informed her.

"But why?" she whined, displaying her adolescence that had lain dormant for the past few weeks.

"They are helping you out, you can at least attend," he chided, trying to display his fatherly authority. Natalie glared at him. "These are your peers. You need to get used to them because like it or nae you will be living among them."

"I liked it better at the hotel," Natalie pouted and silently kicked the floor while Sarah and O'Dragmire had a shallow conversation. An idea struck her.

"I can nae go!" she declared. "I do nae have a dress." Her father exchanged glances with Sarah.

"I can take care of that," Sarah smirked conspiratorially. "I'll take you shopping."

"No," Natalie insisted. She threw her hands up in defeat.

"We can go right now," Sarah coaxed.

"Are you daft? Da just woke up. I want to stay here."

"Fine, we will go this weekend," Sarah smiled. In truth she wanted an excuse to get out and do some shopping without worrying about deadlines or papers.

"Who will stay with Da?" Natalie demanded, grasping on whatever excuse she could desperately think of.

"Believe it or nae, I will be alright on my own," her father replied with amusement. He enjoyed seeing Natalie act more like herself instead of the worried person she had transformed into.

"No you willnae," Natalie argued.

"We will find someone to sit with him," Sarah promised. Natalie slumped even further into her chair and took out her homework, attempting to ignore her father and Sarah as they plotted against her.

* * *

><p>revision follows:<p>

* * *

><p>Saturday rolled around and Natalie awoke in her cramped fold-out bed, prepared to spend the entire morning pouting. She sat up and stretched, noticing her father was heavily snoring. She wrinkled her face and trudged out of the room, grabbing a small bag on her way. She waved and mumbled a greeting to the nurses as she passed by. Natalie entered a small restroom in an out-of-the-way corridor. She had become all too familiar with the cold tile room in the past few weeks. The rooms in the ICU lacked private bathrooms and this was the nearest one. It also conveniently housed a shower head, which she had been given permission to use as long as she timed her showers to right before housekeeping cleaned. Natalie dropped her bag in the sink before turning on the hot water to warm the air. Even through her flip flops she could feel the sterile cold seeping through the tiles. Natalie proceeded with her shower at lightening speed and ignored the jiggle of the handle as she brushed her teeth. This was the only time she had where she wasn't under someone's watchful eye and she was going to savor it. She nodded to the waiting housekeeper as she left and trudged back to the little room she had been staying in.<p>

Natalie was still amazed at how quickly her world had shrunk. It was only a few weeks ago that she had her own room in a suite that was a big as some people's houses. The world outside seemed huge and limitless. Now she slept on a fold-out chair-bed in an ICU room, and the world had shrunk to Hylia. Where she had once had contact with people from all over the world, she was now surrounded by doctors and nurses. Even though she was exonerated from the recent event s she didn't want to think about, she felt like a prisoner of war. Really, where did she have to go? She didn't want to impose on anyone, including Sarah; whom she thought of as a friend and traitor in turns. Life was confusing for her. She felt like she was struggling just to stay sane.

Natalie threw her bag in the corner, a habit that had stayed with her. It annoyed the nurses, but was familiar and thus comforting. She slid the bed back into a chair and got out her homework. She didn't want to think about school, because that meant she had to think about the horrors of the upcoming dance. She had little else to occupy her time so she bent over her advanced mathematics and went to work.

The nurse knocked as she entered the room, pulling her computer cart loaded with meds behind her. The creak of the wheels roused the patient. "Good morning," the nurse chirped. "I have your morning medication."

"Ima," O'Dragmire nodded groggily. He hadn't slept well again. He hadn't slept well since he came out of his coma. He had been having vivid and disturbing dreams he couldn't recall upon awakening.

"Actually I'm Ura," The nurse replied with an amused look. O'Dragmire did a double take on the nurse. "Ima is my sister," she explained. "She works during the week and I do weekends. We look so much alike it throws people off. You'd think Ima did nothing but sit in one place 24/7 waiting to answer the call of duty. I promise you she actually has a life. This is the first time we have met while you are awake." O'Dragmire gave her a suspicious look but soon found their demeanors were quite dissimilar. While both were precise and blunt, Ima was still tender and soothing while Ura was calculating and impersonal.

"I checked your labs this morning," Ima said as she performed her morning assessment. "You hemoglobin is falling again. I'll have to talk to the doctor, but you may need another unit of blood."

"I though his labs had stabilized since the bleeding stopped," Natalie interjected, putting down her pencil.

"They had, but they started falling again. His wound isn't bleeding but he is still losing blood. We just don't know where. We're probably going to have to do some more testing."

"How many units of blood have I had so far?" O'Dragmire asked uncertainly. Ura scrolled through her computer quickly.

"Eleven," she affirmed at last. "That is just what you have received since you came to the ICU. I don't have the exact count from when you were in surgery; only that it was 'a lot.' Sometimes the doctors are very precise in their oral reports," she said with an eye roll. O'Dragmire looked displeased but didn't say anything else.

"What sort of test are we looking at?" he inquired, dutifully swallowing the cupful of pills handed to him. Ima began clicking away at the computer to document the medication she had given.

"You'll probably get a chest x-ray to see if there is fluid in the lungs," she explained. "They sound fine to me but an x-ray will give a better picture. From there we will start checking the stomach and bowels and then whatever the doctor orders."

"Sounds like I have a fun day planned," O'Dragmire sighed. Ura continued to check the various tubes hooked up to her patient.

"I see you are still going through quite a bit of morphine," she commented, checking the pump that her charge controlled via a button. "On a scale of zero to ten, where are you now?"

"Six," O'Dragmire replied grimly.

"When was the last time you pushed the button?" Ura asked. O'Dragmire's eyes scanned the room for the clock. He studied it carefully.

"About three hours ago when I woke up briefly," he answered after calculating time in his head.

"It isn't time to push the button again, then. Do you want something else for the interim?"

"Yes, please," he begged.

Ura returned to her cart and entered a code to access the medicine stored within in. She popped another pill out of its blister pack and handed it to O'Dragmire. "It will help with the pain but it will probably knock you out again." O'Dragmire shrugged and downed the pill. Ura tidied up and excused herself to go to her next patient. O'Dragmire chatted with his daughter until the drugs finally took effect and he dozed off fitfully. Natalie sighed and pulled out her homework once again. She barely got started when there was another knock on the door.

"Good morning!" Sarah called cheerfully as she popped her head in the door. Natalie grinned and stretched out in a feline manner. "Ready to go?"

Natalie shook her head. "Da is nae feeling well this morning. I want to stay here with him."

"Natalie, you promised," Sarah chided.

"I didnae promise anything," Natalie countered defensively. "It was decided for me that we would go. Da's going to have some tests today so I want to stay here."

"He will be fine, Natalie," Sarah reassured her, clumping her way into the room. She went over to the man in question and looked at him. He was paler than usual and was grimacing, even in his sleep.

"Da does nae like to be alone," Natalie reminded him. "Especially when he is nae feeling well."

"Then I guess it is a good thing I brought back up," Sarah smirked. She leaned back into the hallway and motioned for someone to enter. Link had a sheepish grin as he crept into the room.

Natalie went through the full gamut of emotions in a single instant. She swallowed and looked at Sarah in alarm. "Do you really think this is a good idea?" she asked in a half whisper. "Link did stab Da after all."

"That was an accident," Sarah protested. "It isn't like I had anyone else willing to take time out of there weekend to sit with him." Natalie backed up and glared at Sarah defiantly. Link stepped forward.

"I promise I won't stab your dad again," Link promised sincerely. "I won't hurt him in anyway. I'm just going to sit here, in this chair. I swear it." Natalie eyed him suspiciously and stood her ground.

"Come on, Natalie, this isn't a plot to murder him," Sarah said in exasperation. Natalie finally shrugged and followed Sarah out of the hospital. Link sat down in his chair and pulled out his phone.

* * *

><p>Link was beginning to wonder how long it could possibly take two women to buy one dress when O'Dragmire began to stir. The nurse had been in and out of the room several times and Link had hoped he could get through this ordeal undetected. Link hurriedly put his phone away and clasped his hands on his lap as the other man woke up. He didn't make a noise until the other man had spoken.<p>

"What are you doing here?" O'Dragmire demanded as he caught sight of Link the corner.

"I promised I would wait here with you until the girls get back from shopping," Link explained promptly, with an edge of nervousness in his voice.

"Zelda was already here?" O'Dragmire asked, adjusting his bed so he sat up better.

"Sarah, yes," Link replied. They stared at each other nervously. "I'm sorry for, you know, stabbing you. It was…"

"An accident, I know," O'Dragmire finished for him, waving off his apology. There was another awkward pause. "You do nae still have your sword on you, do you? It has given me more problems than I can count."

"No," Link admitted, looking a little forlorn. "It was taken away as evidence, and now the museum is trying to confiscate it as an ancient relic." Another pause.

"So the girls are out shopping?"

"Yeah, trying to find a dress for Natalie."

"She does nae like shopping, or dresses."

"Sarah can do enough shopping for the both of them."

"Are you very close to Sarah?" O'Dragmire asked curiously.

"I've known who she is for years but I've only really gotten to know her in the past month,"

"Just how close are you now?" O'Dragmire inquired with narrowed eyes.

"I've kissed her," Link admitted obliviously.

"You are nae the only one," O'Dragmire replied challengingly. Link finally caught on and smirked.

"Listen…"

"Oh, my name is Link."

"Listen, Link," O'Dragmire said with a sigh. "I know the ladies are concerned about me but you don't have to sit here with me. I appreciate the gesture but it is nae necessary."

"I told Sarah I'd wait here with you so Natalie wouldn't worry and I intend to keep my word," Link replied, running his fingers through his hair.

"Fine," O'Dragmire replied wearily. "Natalie has a deck of cards. Do you mind, just to pass the time?"

"Not a problem, I like games," Link replied, fishing through the bag the other man was pointing to. He held the deck above his head once he found it. "What game?"

"Do you know santase?"

"No, Never heard of it. What about schnapsen? "

"I don't know about that one. Gin?"

"I'm too young to know how to play that. Double solitaire?"

"I never learned that one, and I'm too drugged up to learn now."

"There is always war," Link shrugged. O'Dragmire stared at the lad.

"Fine, war it is then."

* * *

><p>It was several hours later when the girls finally made it back.<p>

"I'm sorry we were gone so long," Natalie said as she entered the room and threw bags haphazardly in the corner. "Sarah made me get a manicure."

Her father looked up from the small table where he was still playing cards with Link. "Heaven forbid your nails look nice," he smiled jokingly. "Did you get a dress?"

"Yes," Sarah huffed; juggling her crutches and a long bag draped over one shoulder as she worked her way into the room. Link immediately rose to help her.

"Why didnae you just let me carry that?" Natalie asked irritably.

Sarah thanked link then pointed to the pile of bags in the corner in reply to Natalie, "I at least wanted your dress to remain looking nice."

"Do you like your dress, Natalie?" her father asked.

Natalie shrugged, "its okay."

"It looks stunning on her," Sarah insisted. "What have you two been up to?"

"War," O'Dragmire replied, showing the piles of cards on the table.

"Who is winning?" Natalie asked curiously, kicking off her shoes and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I am," Link said, motioning to his noticeably larger stack.

"I started out with all four kings and three aces and he is still slaughtering me," O'Dragmire complained.

"Shall we continue?" Link challenged.

"Yes, we shall," O'Dragmire challenged back.

"I have to interrupt. It is time to get your x-ray," Ura said, popping her head in the door. "You are going to need another unit of blood, but that will have to wait until this evening, after the tests."

"Do you want us to wait here?" Sarah asked as Ura readied the bed to be moved to radiology.

"Thank you, but no," he replied. "I'll probably need to drug myself up and sleep after this. You need to go home and put your feet up so your leg can heal."

"You did nae get any testing done while we were gone?" Natalie asked she curled up on her chair to be out of the way.

"We aren't in a hurry on the weekends in this hospital," Ura replied wryly.

"Do you want me to come back later and finish the game?" Link asked as he helped Sarah gather her things.

"Do nae worry about it," O'Dragmire replied. "At the rate we were going, we will never be finished."

They quickly said their goodbyes as Natalie followed her father through the hospital and Link escorted Sarah away.


	9. Chapter 8

Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo.

* * *

><p>"Hold still, would you?" Sarah cried in frustration as she wrestled Natalie's red hair into a curling iron.<p>

"This is stupid," she protested, trying to wriggle away. She had no where to go in the small bathroom located near the ICU. Sarah grabbed Natalie by the hair and forced her back to the sink.

"No, you just putting your hair into a ponytail is stupid," Sarah hissed. "I would get done a whole lot quicker if you would just stand still," She continued to curl the girl's hair while she pouted. Natalie didn't like getting made up or fussed over. She wasn't a tomboy but she wasn't very girly either. She was accustomed to her aunt's brand of femininity. She had trouble seeing herself as anything but a daughter to her father and a niece to her many aunts. That world had collapsed on itself and Natalie was resisting moving out of it.

Natalie stared at herself in mirror as Sarah began to part and twist her hair. "Hand me those clips," Sarah commanded.

"Which clips?" Natalie asked, looking over the vast array of pins, clips and bands Sarah had lain out as a torturer displays his instruments. Sarah pointed to some plain clips and pinned the hair to one side as she began to work on Natalie's hair. She closed her eyes and made overdramatic whines every time Sarah pulled her hair.

"You can look now," Sarah prompted when she was finished. Natalie tentatively looked in the mirror, expecting her hair to resemble Marie Antoinette. She was surprised to see a ponytail. It wasn't just a ponytail. Her normally stick straight hair fell in cascading curls over her shoulder. There was a bit more pouf on top and twists and braids to accent it. Natalie twisted her head back and forth to take it in.

"I still look like me," she whispered in surprise, still gazing in the mirror.

"As if you could be anything else," Sarah remarked, putting her hair things into a case and fishing out another one. "Make up time."

"Okay."

"You aren't going to fight me?"

"Not as long as I still look like me in the end. I like the hair."

"I thought you might, hold still."

Natalie stood very calmly as Sarah quickly applied makeup. "See? I'm done already," Sarah smiled as she put down her brush.

"Already? You spent forever on my hair." Natalie peaked suspiciously.

"That was my everyday, casual routine," Sarah explained as she put away all her implement. "Anything else would have overpowered you and wouldn't have been "Natalie" enough. You are already pretty; you just needed a little polishing. Come on, let's put on your dress." Sarah was embarrassed at how Natalie wasn't about stripping down before Sarah could turn her back. Natalie quickly wriggled into her dress and had Sarah help fasten the back. "You know, not everyone can pull this color off, especially redheads," Sarah remarked as she smoothed the pale pink material. "Your complexion suits it." Natalie wrinkled her nose at it, still protesting the idea of wearing a dress. It was quite becoming. It looked feminine while still showing off Natalie's toned arms. She gave herself a quick glance in the mirror before diving for the bag containing her jewelry. She began layering on the pieces with abandon, carefully tucking her mother's necklace into place. Natalie pulled on a pair of opera length fingerless gloves that would have looked tacky on anyone else, but somehow looked classy on the teen.

"Much better," Natalie said triumphantly as she looked at herself bedecked in more jewelry than most people would consider tasteful. Somehow, it suited her. It complimented her personality without looking gaudy. Natalie helped Sarah gather the various boxes and bags and head out of the cramped bathroom.

"For someone who doesn't like dresses or makeup, you like your jewelry," Sarah teased they slowly made their way down the hall.

"They are shiny," Natalie shrugged as she sashayed down the hall in her simple flats. Sarah had argued she needed heels until Natalie pointed out she was already as tall as the boys. Natalie continued her dramatic walk through the sterile corridors of the hospital, bowing regally to the amused nursing staff. She entered the familiar room and flung the bags in the corner. "How do I look?" She sighed dramatically as she twirled around in the confined space.

"You are beautiful, _leannán," _Her father replied, smiling as he watched his daughter preen about, "but you didn't need a new frock to prove that. I guess you decided you like it after all?"

"Meh," Natalie replied, sitting down in the corner with a graceless plop. "I suppose it will do."

"Are you ready?" Link called as he popped his head in the door.

"No," Natalie sulked. "I still do nae want to go." She rummaged through the discarded bags until she found her purse.

"I hope you have a good time anyway," her father replied. Natalie huffed and stared at him coldly.

"I hardly know any of them," she protested. It was true she had been in the same school with many of them her entire life, but she hardly socialized with them outside the classroom. She had even kept those on the track and cross country teams at arm's length. She had effectively isolated herself. It had been a misguided attempt to protect her aunts' identity, but it had left her alone and vulnerable now that her life was crashing down around her. Natalie sighed, "Do nae worry about it, Da. I'll be fine. I have to be going." She sighed heavily and headed for the door.

"I love you, Natalie," he called out, stopping her as she was about to leave. She turned around and went to the outstretched arms of her father. They embraced tenderly.

"I love you, Da," she whispered in reply, clinging to him for a silent moment.

"Get going now," he said with a soft kiss to her hair. He looked over at Link, standing just outside the door. "I expect her back by 10:30."

"Yes, sir," he replied with a grin and walked with Natalie towards the exit.

"I'm not sure I like him taking my daughter to a dance," O'Dragmire said to Sarah, who had been sitting quietly in the corner.

"It isn't like he is her date," she reminded him with an amused smile. "He's going to drop her off, then head for the office and work until he has to pick her up."

"Does he do anything besides work?" O'Dragmire inquired.

"Link does get side-tracked a lot, but yeah, mostly work," Sarah replied.

O'Dragmire shook his head and smiled slightly, before a grimace overtook him as he put a large hand over his side.

"You think very highly of Link," he mentioned once he had caught his breath.

"Yeah," Sarah agreed with a smile. "He is a great guy."

"I'm glad he makes you happy," O'Dragmire said curtly; which elicited a strange look from Sarah. She began to laugh.

"Oh, it isn't anything like that," she giggled, abandoning her usual worried demeanor. "We went on a few dates, but we don't have too much in common. We have totally different goals in life. He wants excitement and adventure."

"And what is it you want?" O'Dragmire prompted, his eyes crinkling in amusement. He hoped his relief wouldn't be too apparent.

"Total domination of Hylia," she replied with a broad smile.

"You set your sights too low," he teased back. "I do nae think I'd stand for anything less than world domination."

"You're more ambitious than I realized," she quipped as they smiled at each other. Another grimace interrupted their teasing and brought O'Dragmire back to the grim present. "Should I get the nurse?" Sarah asked with concern, pulling herself up and steadying herself against the wall.

"Nae," O'Dragmire shook his head. "I have nae pushed the PCA pump in a while because it makes me tired. I knew you would be here and I wanted to talk. I'll be alright." Sarah sat back down but her face was still drawn with worry. "How are things at the office?" O'Dragmire said through another grimace. Sarah looked worried and shuffled to the edge of her seat.

"Fine, I guess." Sarah replied, eyeing her shoe as she bounced it nervously.

"You're lying, tell me the truth," he replied sternly. Sarah looked up at him apologetically and bit her lip.

"The land acquisition passed," Sarah blurted out, staring intently at the hospitalized man to judge his reaction. His eyes narrowed and darkened. He held her gaze for a moment before looking up at the ceiling. The air was tense with frustration and disappointment.

"So you've won," he said darkly.

Sarah put her face in her hand and shook her head. "It isn't like that," she protested. "I'm sorry. I tried to protest it, but in the end I failed."

"I am nae surprised. Once you put that idea in their heads it was nae one you could get out again," O'Dragmire lamented. "Had you stopped them this time, it would have come up again and again in and endless cycle if need be. It the end it would have ended the same."

"I'm so sorry," Sarah whispered.

O'Dragmire simply nodded and stared at the ceiling to hide his own disappointment until he heard a strange sniff. He looked over at Sarah. "Are you crying?" he asked. Sarah shook her head but another sniff made it apparent she still wasn't truthful. "You do nae need to cry about it. Everything I do is doomed to fail in the end." This made Sarah cry more forcefully. "Look, Zelda,"

"Sarah."

"Sarah," he corrected himself. "I knew this would happen the first time I received a letter from you about your little plan. Am I disappointed? Absolutely. However, I had already resigned myself to my fate. I can nae win against you."

"Then why did you fight me on it? I could have made changes that benefited you more."

"I guess it is just in my nature to fight. I can be pig-headed sometimes and will fight when I think I am being treated unfairly."

"Well," Sarah smiled, trying to lighten the mood. "I've already seen you are willing to fight to the death."

"Beyond that if need be," O'Dragmire returned with a smirk. "Though honestly, sometimes I think I would be better off if I had died that night."

"Don't talk like that!" Sarah gasped.

"Do nae look at me like that," O'Dragmire reprimanded. "Do you have any idea what it is like being confined to this forsaken hospital? I can only sit here and watch everything fall apart. I can nae get my hotel back in order. I can nae be a proper father to Natalie. All I do is sit here and puzzle the doctors as to why I am nae getting better. There is too much I should be doing but nothing I can do. I have to watch Natalie waste her time in that chair. She should be out being a teenager and nae hovering over me. I've wasted enough of her youth already."

"That is one thing I can help you with," Sarah interjected.

"How?" O'Dragmire demanded. "It is nae like I can go back seven years and change things."

"No," Sarah agreed. "I can help you protect her, though."

"I do nae understand."

"I don't want to sound morbid, but your condition isn't good. Natalie isn't eighteen yet, so what would happen to her if something happened to you?"

"Tell me," O'Dragmire said, glaring at her.

"She would become a ward of Hylia," Sarah answered. "She would be placed in a home. I don't know where she would go, but I doubt I could intervene there. She isn't old enough to hold property so the Hotel Gerudo would become property of Hylia. Theoretically it would be held in trust, but I'm beginning to see how that would go."

"I have thought about that," O'Dragmire confessed, letting out a long sigh. He shifted in the bed, letting out a low groan. "What would you have me do?"

"I've checked the family codes and such," Sarah explained. "She is old enough and the situation is favorable to emancipating her."

"You mean declare her an adult?" he clarified.

Sarah nodded, "Yes, if she were an adult you could transfer property to her and Hylia couldn't touch it."

"I see what you mean," he said thoughtfully.

"I don't want you take this wrong," Sarah pleaded. "I'm not trying to plan for your death, but, you aren't getting any better."

"I understand, you are being wise," O'Dragmire murmured. "What do I need to do?"

"Fill out a ton of paperwork and get a judge in here to sign it. It can be finished Monday."

"Fine, we'll do that," he agreed. "Please do nae tell Natalie about it. It would make her upset."

"I won't tell her. I'll let you do that."

"You know, Zelda,"

"Sarah."

"Sarah. If I had to fall to an enemy, at least it was you."

Sarah let out an annoyed sigh. "Why does everything have to be battles and war with you?" she demanded. O'Dragmire merely shrugged in response and pushed the button on his pain medicine. His eyes immediately became heavy.

"It's just in my nature I suppose," he muttered as he became incoherent.

* * *

><p>O'Dragmire awoke to sharp pain radiating up his side. He groaned and adjusted himself in his hospital bed. He was disoriented by the sunlight streaming in the window. It was still dark in his last lucid memory. The chair where Sarah had sat was now occupied by Natalie, who had fallen asleep still wearing her gown. The nurse knocked on the door and entered quietly.<p>

"How are you feeling this morning?" she asked softly.

"About the same," he grimaced in reply.

"That bad?" she asked sympathetically. O'Dragmire nodded.

"Why does he hurt so bad?" Natalie mumbled as she stretched lazily in her chair.

"It's badly, Natalie," her father corrected. Natalie rolled her eyes.

"Should nae he be used to the pain by now?" Natalie asked the nurse.

"Unfortunately, you don't get used to it," Ima explained. "The longer you are in pain the more sensitive you are to it."

"Huh," Natalie replied, wiping her face and smearing the remaining makeup. "You're so smart, Ima. You should have been a doctor."

"Being a nurse is my calling," Ima replied matter-of-factly. "Doctors treat diseases, nurses treat people. Let me get you some more pain medicine and I'll be right back with your morning meds." Ima swiftly left the room to retrieve the prescriptions.

Natalie sauntered out of the room to change. She wasn't thrilled with the makeup stained face that stared back at her so she quickly scrubbed it off with the harsh hospital soap. She felt much more like herself as she looked herself over wearing a t-shirt and jeans. She was humming to herself as she passed the nurse's station.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, Natalie," Ima called as Natalie passed by.

"What's up?" Natalie asked as she skipped to the desk.

Ima sighed and looked at the girl. "Natalie, Your father still isn't improving like we hoped he would."

"Yeah, that is what you have been telling me since he came here," was her bored reply.

"Natalie," Ima said sternly, "this isn't a light matter. Your father has been stable more or less, but without some sort of improvement he can't remain in his current state forever."

"I guess he's about to start getting better then," Natalie replied, annoyed. "He is nae getting worse so he has to get better."

"I'm glad you see it that way," Ima replied. "I just wanted to check, you are Catholic, right?"

"Yes," Natalie replied.

"Have you thought about calling a priest out here?"

"No!" Natalie snapped. "I thought we just agreed that Da was going to get better. He does nae need last rites."

"I was thinking more along the lines of anointing of the sick," Ima explained. "At any rate, I didn't want to start an argument. I want your father to get better, but we're at the point we need all the help we can get."

"Da will be _fine_." Natalie growled and stormed back to the room.

"You are nae in a good mood. What is wrong?" her father asked as she plopped down in her chair.

"Nothing," Natalie lied.

"Are you going to talk to me about it?"

"No."

O'Dragmire sighed. "How did your dance go last night?"

"It was alright, I guess," Natalie shrugged. "I had fun. I actually got to talk to some people. They are nae so bad."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he replied warmly. Natalie shrugged and looked out the window. "You've asked me several times over the years, where you really fit in at. I think last night you found out. You really do belong to Hylia. I'm sorry I kept you up at the hotel where you could nae get out and make friends. It would have made all this easier. I should nae have wasted your life like that."

"Did you ever think that maybe that is the life I wanted?" Natalie asked softly. "I loved living at the hotel, surrounded by you and the aunts. Sure, I talked about going to college and doing whatever random and crazy job that caught my interest, but I always wanted to end up at the hotel. _That_ is where I always wanted to be, not here." O'Dragmire gave his daughter a heartbroken look as the room stood in a melancholy silence.

"I guess in the end none of us get what we want," he replied aloud, his voice heavy with unspoken disappointments. "We just have to keep going, I suppose. I used to think I had everything planned out where nothing could go wrong. I just feel guilty. I could have left the hotel more often myself. To tell you the truth, I hate Hylia. I should have moved somewhere we could have had a place in the community, but instead I build a useless phantom of a life. "

"Everything is going to be alright, Da," Natalie tried to reassure him. "You are going to get better and then we can open the hotel back up and ignore Hylia like we always did. Things will go back to normal."

"I'm sure things will become normal again," O'Dragmire replied thoughtfully, "but I do nae think 'normal' is going to be the same as it was before."

"Da, you can nae stay like this forever."

"No, I can nae."

* * *

><p>"Well," the doctor began, clearing his throat. "You hemoglobin levels have been dropping again. I was hoping they would come up on their own, but they are still dropping. We still don't know where the blood is going. Your side hasn't bled again, has it?"<p>

O'Dragmire shook his head. He glanced over at Sarah who was sitting nervously by the bed, holding his hand. He was grateful Natalie hadn't made it back from school yet.

"I'd like to give you another round of blood, but we are all out of your type. I've called around to other blood banks, but they're cleared out, too. You have the rarest blood type and it's the most in demand."

"Then what is the plan?" O'Dragmire asked blankly.

"There isn't much we can do at this point," the doctor admitted. "I'd like to keep you here so we can watch over you, but in all honesty, we've done all we can do. We have to leave your outcome up to fate now. If you want to go home, I'll sign the papers now."

Sarah let out a little gasp and squeezed O'Dragmire's hand. He frowned slightly, but made no other obvious show of emotion.

"You don't have to decide right now," the doctor assured him. "I'll give you time to think it over. Let me know when you decide." The doctor nodded and started to leave the room.

"Wait," Sarah said as he entered the hallway. The doctor popped his head in the door. "You said he has the rarest blood type? You mean O negative?" The doctor nodded. "I'm O negative. I could give blood."

The doctor quickly came back in the room, smiling in relief. "Normally, we don't do patient specific donations, but this is hardly a normal case. We could get it processed tonight and have it ready by tomorrow. Thank you, you're such a peach. I'll have the lab call you when they are ready." The doctor rushed out of the room again and immediately began furiously typing on a computer while making a phone call.

"What's going on?" Natalie asked as trudged into the room and slung her bag into the corner. Sarah stood up and fetched the folder she had left on the counter.

"I'm going to have another blood transfusion tomorrow," her father informed her, taking the folder from Sarah.

"Again?" Natalie asked, looking confused. "It's been so long since you had one."

"Apparently I need another," O'Dragmire said flatly. He took several packets out of the folder and handed them to Natalie.

"What are these?" She asked, glancing over the legal papers.

"You are an adult now," her father explained. "I'm sorry we couldn't have a party or do this more ceremoniously."

"I do nae understand," Natalie said, looking at her father with a worried expression.

"Circumstances being what they are," her father began, clearing his throat, "I thought it best to take precautions and have you declared an adult. I also transferred ownership of the Hotel Gerudo to you."

"The doctor have you scared you're going to die so you have the courts say I'm nae longer your daughter?" Natalie shrieked, throwing the papers back at him. "This is stupid. Nothing is going to happen to you."

"Nae Ma'am!" O'Dragmire firmly replied. "It simply "removes the disability of minority" it does nae change our family. I'm sorry you do nae like the situation and believe me; I do nae like it either. If this is the only way I can protect you, then so be it."

Natalie set her jaw and fought back tears. She picked up the papers again and flipped through them. "You are going to regret this," she warned. "I'm going to give you hell when you come back to work at _my _hotel." She stuffed the papers in her school bag before shouldering the pack and storming out of the room.

"She took that better than I thought she would," O'Dragmire said, turning to Sarah who stood shocked in the corner.

"You call that good?" She asked, resuming her seat.

"For Natalie, yes," he affirmed. The phone in the room rang and both jumped. Sarah answered it and spoke quickly.

"They're ready for me at the lab. Will you be okay?" Sarah asked as she hung up the receiver.

"I'll be fine. I'm worn out," he assured her. "Just go home after you are done so I can sleep."

"Alright," Sarah said, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow." She patted his leg on her way out the door.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry about this," Ima said as she pressed gauze to O'Dragmire's wrist. "I know we were supposed to start another IV, just incase, but we can't even infuse blood through the wrist. I don't know why the night nurse tried to start one here." After a few minuets the bleeding stopped and Ima checked the site. "It doesn't look pretty now," Ima said. "She blew the vein and it's pretty bruised up. Look, you can hardly tell you had a tattoo there." She wrapped a bandage over it before taking off her gloves. "All you lines are flushing so I'm not going to stick you again. I have some more papers for you to sign. Do you have any questions?"<p>

"No," O'Dragmire said in amusement as he signed his name. "We have done this how many times now?"

"Twelve," Ima replied with a smile. "We still have to go through the entire process every time we give blood. I'll go get it and be right back." She hurried out of the door after double checking that she had everything she needed.

"Hey Da," Natalie exclaimed sleepily as she entered the room.

"Should nae you be at school?" He asked as she slumped into a chair opposite Sarah.

"I took the day off. I did nae sleep well last night," she answered, stretching out in her chair.

"You never came back last night, where did you go?" her father asked with a concerned look.

"Home," was all Natalie replied.

"You really should be at school," he pressed.

"You can nae make me go," Natalie retorted, making a face.

"Did you come here just to taunt me?" O'Dragmire chided. "I am nae in a mood to put up with your attitude." Natalie rolled her eyes and sat silently in the corner. Ima appeared trailed by a husky male nurse.

"Natalie, it is nice to see you," She nodded as she entered the room. "Sarah, I'm sorry but I'll have to ask you step outside while we get this started. There are too many people in here right now.

"Not a problem," Sarah assured her as she stood up and went to the patient. "Take care. I'll be in the waiting room."

O'Dragmire squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, Zelda,"

"Sarah."

"Sarah, it is nae like you will never see me again." They smiled at each other before Sarah limped out of the room.

"Dariun, I need you to double check everything for me," Ima stated as she matched labels and took O'Dragmire's vital signs. The other nurse checked everything again and Ima started to hook all the tubing up.

"It's odd," Dariun said as he handed the bag of blood to Ima.

"What is?" she asked, spiking the bag and hanging it on the pole next to the saline.

"The blood," the nurse responded, pointing to the bag. "It is lighter than you would expect."

"You're right," Ima agreed flipping through the paperwork from the lab. "Everything tested out fine. The donor wasn't anemic. That's odd. Okay, I'll call you if I need you." She turned to her patient. "I have to wait in here with you for a few minutes. How are you feeling?"

"Just fine," O'Dragmire assured her as she started the pump on the transfusion. They sat in silence as the minuets stretched into eternity. Ima scribbled notes until fifteen minutes were up.

"How are you feeling now?" Ima asked, getting up from her seat to check him again.

"Fine, it's just cold," he replied vaguely.

"I know, it is safer if we don't warm the blood before transfusing it," Ima explained. She checked his temperature and compared it to her previous recording.

"This is the last time you are getting blood, Da," Natalie informed him, breaking her sulky silence.

"Excuse me?" her father replied sleepily.

"I tired of you being in here," she replied. "Hurry up and get better."

"I'm trying," he replied with a soft smile, the smile quickly faded as he coughed. Ima immediately took note. "I'm fine," he insisted, waving her off. He grimaced and clutched his side.

"I don't like this," Ima whispered and consulted the screen. "Your temperature and heart rate are going up."

"My side hurts where it always does," O'Dragmire retorted. "I'm fine."

Ima quickly grabbed a pair of gloves as she stuck her head out the door. "Call the doctor for me. Dariun, get the crash cart ready."

"Do we have a code?" he asked as headed toward the large red cart. The secretary dialed a number.

"Not right now, but I have a bad feeling about this," Ima replied before ducking back in the room. She looked at the monitor again. "I'm stopping the transfusion," she said as she crossed the room. She quickly stopped the pump and clamped the tubing before disconnecting it.

"What's going on?" Natalie demanded, coming over to peer over Ima's shoulder.

"I think he's having a reaction to the blood," Ima replied flatly as she watched the monitor.

"But he's never had a problem before," Natalie protested.

"Every time is different," Ima said as she looked at her patient. He groaned and clutched his side. Ima crossed to the opposite side of the bed and lifted the covers to check his wound. "It isn't bleeding," she whispered. Natalie grabbed her father's hand and fidgeted nervously.

Suddenly the monitor's alarms rang out. Ima immediately checked his pulse. She placed her hands on his chest and pushed rhythmically. "Help, Now!" she shouted. Several nurses came running. Ima barked orders as Natalie watched in silent horror. The nurses compressed O'Dragmire's chest until Natalie was sure his ribs would crack. A large mask was over his face, blowing oxygen into his lungs. Ima abdicated her position to another nurse and shut the monitor alarms off.

"What is happening?" Natalie squeaked as Ima stood beside her. Ima put a hand on her shoulder.

"Sometimes blood transfusions don't work out like they should. The body starts rejects it," Ima explained. Natalie looked up desperately. "He went into shock; we're doing everything we can."

Despite her best efforts, tears streamed down Natalie's face. Ima stood beside her until the doctor arrived. The doctor briefly checked him before making a decision.

Dead.

Ima held Natalie as she sank to the floor in tears. The other nurses quickly cleaned up the room, removing lines and monitors that had been attached to the body and left silently. After the worst of the sobs had subsided, Natalie sat up. She tried to speak but the words wouldn't come out.

"Do you want me to stay here with you?" Ima asked.

Natalie shook her head.

"Do you want to be alone to say good bye?"

Natalie nodded, sobbing again.

"I'll be right outside the door," Ima whispered gently to Natalie. "I let Sarah know so she isn't surprised when she gets back. Natalie nodded again and stood up. She stared at her father, making odd noises in her throat. Ima gave her one last hug before leaving the room to give Natalie privacy. Natalie crossed to the bed and began to cry harder again as she leaned her father to wrap him in a tight hug. The sleeve of her shirt shifted, revealing a fresh tattoo on her left wrist.

* * *

><p>Author's note: Please tell me no one was surprised by that ending. This is Zelda, what other outcome could there be? This is the end of the story, but I do plan on writing an epilogue that takes place a few years down the road. Thank you for reading! I thought this story was going to be longer, but I guess I didn't have as much to say as I thought I did. It ends a bit abruptly, but hopefully the epilogue will help alleviate that.<p> 


	10. Epilogue

Author's note: I do not own Hylia, Hyrule, Dragmire, Link etc, or any variation thereof. They belong to Nintendo.

Epilogue – Several Years Later

"That is why I cannot, in good conscience, approve the new zoning change," Sarah spoke clearly into the microphone on the podium. She was again arguing her point during a city council meeting, but this time she had the distinct advantage of being the city council's speaker. Sarah nodded her head to the moderate applause and returned to her seat. She listened politely to the opposing arguments but smiled when her position won the vote. The only concluding matter was nominations for the upcoming elections.

A gentleman stood up during the nominations. "I nominate Natalie Dragmire for District 7," Link announced. The nomination was quickly seconded and accepted.

Sarah excused herself once the meeting was adjourned to talk to her friends. "You didn't tell me you were planning on running for office," she said pleasantly to Natalie.

"No, I didn't," Natalie laughed. "It was a last minute decision." She was much changed in the past few years. She had altered her surname to make it more "Hylian" and all that remained of her once strong accent was a soft and pleasant lilt.

"Good luck to you," Sarah replied before both women were pulled away to talk politics to various supporters. Link stood by in the shadows until the women were through.

"Are you ready to go?" Link asked Sarah when she had waved goodbye to the last lingering person.

"Ready," She confirmed, following him out of the building. Natalie was waiting by the car. They all chatted amicably on the way to the restaurant.

"You graduate next month and decided to run for office? Bold move," Sarah observed as they were seated.

"It seemed like a good idea. My land takes up a good portion of District 7 and I'm on pretty good terms with most other businesses out there. I see it as protecting my interests." Natalie replied.

"How is the hotel doing?" Link asked as he skimmed the menu.

"It is much different than it was, but it is turning a profit," Natalie replied.

"I thought you were keeping it pretty much the same," Sarah pointed out.

"I wanted to, but it just isn't feasible anymore," Natalie sighed. "I finally shut the stables down and sold the horses. I couldn't justify the expense. With the city encroaching that way I'm doing more business in the spa than anything. I'm planning on expanding it when I can."

"I still can't believe you managed to keep the hotel running and finish college at the same time."

"You do what you have to," Natalie shrugged and ordered her food.

"What I can't believe is that you managed to hire an entirely red-headed staff," Link joked.

"They are all here legally," Natalie smirked, "Besides, I'm not related to any of them. They aren't even related to each other. They just happened to be the best suited for the jobs. They've been working out there so long they feel like family, though."

The remainder of the meal passed pleasantly. Link drove the ladies home, dropping Natalie off at the dorm she stayed in during the week. He parked in front of Sarah's apartment.

"Thank you for taking us out tonight, Link," Sarah smiled.

"No problem," Link answered, looking at his hands and the steering wheel.

"We should do this again sometime, it was fun. I haven't gotten to see you very often since I was elected." Sarah continued. She looked over at Link but he continued to stare out the windshield. He took a deep breath and looked at her.

"Sarah, I'm leaving," Link blurted out. Sarah's face fell.

"What do you mean? Where are you going?" She demanded.

"I'm leaving Hylia," Link replied, "Ever since my mother and sister disappeared I haven't felt right. I know they are out there somewhere. I need to go find them."

"Link, the police are investigating it," Sarah protested, placing her hand on his arm. "Your father doesn't know anything but no foul play is suspected."

"Of course he doesn't know anything!" Link spat out with more venom than he usually showed. "He was drunk again when they left. Honestly if it were just my mother I wouldn't be so upset. She knew what my father was like but stayed anyway. I know this is difficult for her. He must have done something that scared her enough she felt she had to run. I'm supposed to be her son and she didn't even say anything to me or ask for help. I'm worried about my sister. She doesn't need to live like that."

"What can you do that the police cannot?" Sarah asked.

"The police don't exactly have a good track record with me," Link snorted.

"I wish there was something I could do to help you," Sarah whispered.

"I know, but you can't," Link replied honestly. "You are too tied to Hylia."

"But what about you?" she inquired. "What about your job?"

"I've turned in my resignation," he replied. "The tech department doesn't need me anymore. I've already accepted a position in another town. My mom used to talk about it, and I have a hunch I'll find some clues there."

"May I ask where you are going?"

"Termina."

"That's so far away!" Sarah protested. "It is so isolated."

"Yeah, but I think it will seem familiar soon enough," Link replied softly.

"When are you going?" Sarah whispered, fighting back tears.

"As soon as I drop you off," he replied apologetically.

"Now? It is late. The moon is already out."

"I don't have time to waste."

"Can't you wait until the weekend and finish out the work week?" Sarah pleaded. Link shook his head. "Why? Do you think if you wait three days Termina won't be there?"

"I'm sorry, I have to go." They sat in silence for a long while.

"I will miss you," Sarah finally whispered.

"I know," was all Link replied. He leaned over and wrapped Sarah in a warm hug. "You'll be just fine," he assured her.

Sarah glumly left the vehicle and unlocked her apartment, watching as Link's vehicle drove away. She lingered on the porch and looked up at the sky. She let a sigh escape as she rubbed the tattoo on her wrist hidden under her bracelets. She was still shocked at losing her friend so suddenly. "Well," she whispered to the darkness, "everything is how it is supposed to be, yet nothing is how I want it." She closed herself inside her home and kicked off her shoes. She sighed again, thinking about the losses both past and present. Then she flipped on her laptop, and sat to answer emails for the city.


End file.
